tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585635149883470944.post6072888700844158652..comments2023-12-01T14:09:28.947+00:00Comments on Polemic's Pains: Is the EU protectionist?Polemichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05985506596290073453noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585635149883470944.post-20899951256599488602018-05-03T10:49:13.014+01:002018-05-03T10:49:13.014+01:00This post seemingly by someone with actual trade n...This post seemingly by someone with actual trade negotiation background seems to reach a different conclusion http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/08/14/the-eu-isnt-protectionist-its-one-of-the-most-open-economies-in-the-world/<br />MCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585635149883470944.post-1494019219996210012018-04-30T19:22:05.440+01:002018-04-30T19:22:05.440+01:00And another thing....
I'm not entirely certai...<br />And another thing....<br /><br />I'm not entirely certain you are quite as old as I, but when I went to school one learnt about that seminal part of British free trading history, "The Corn Laws". We were programmed to realise that the imposition of tariffs by the landowners of the time was a "bad thing" and that the abolition of said tariffs was a victory for free trade that brought down the price of foodstuffs for ordinary people leaving them more money to spend on the new manufactures stimulating the industrial revolution to Britain's advantage.<br /><br />Wind forward to the 1970's, the Tories were still the pre Thatcher Party, primarily representing the interests of the Land and under Heath we seemingly reimposed said Corn Laws but under a shiny new brand, the EEC. Some years ago I recall watching a documentary by the Snows called "Whose Britain is it Anyway?". It was quite an eye opener as it was clear the Lords still owned c. 40% of the land in this country if my memory serves me correctly; they could trace a 1,000 years of unbroken ownership since the Viking thugs invaded from Normandy. Anyway, when one of the Lords was interviewed; he stated that after the war, high taxes and high inheritance taxes meant that many of the gilded families were going to the wall until two things happened: they found a way to pass their assets down seamlessly from generation to generation without paying ruinous taxes and the payments coming out of the EU on joining, massively increased their income, saving their collective bacon. <br /><br />I don't actually believe in coincidences. Where there is human action, there is usually a vested interest at play somewhere. <br /><br />Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14381013196081166483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585635149883470944.post-18685996090675657302018-04-25T17:16:09.297+01:002018-04-25T17:16:09.297+01:00Totally agree. I can't believe how people beli...Totally agree. I can't believe how people believe that leaving the EU is coming away from a 'free trade zone' i.e. anti trade.<br /><br />One of the agreements we had to agree to on joining was that state companies had to be treated exactly like private companies. That meant 1. they could not be discriminated against in public and private procurement contracts where they could go in with a loss leading bid using state backing and then sit pretty as the incumbent 2. they could take over other companies without being taken over themselves. This means that all the painful privatisations we went through have simply on the whole passed UK state ownership to foreign power ownership to milk the various monopolies and oligopolies.<br /><br />I think one of the greatest tragedies is the EU locking Africa largely out of its markets and even worse, dumping surpluses on theirs, then buying up their 'fishing rods' and providing so called 'charity' to look like we're doing something positive rather doing what it needs most, access to our markets. <br /><br />I could go on. Personally I just think government as close to people as sensible is the right way to go. Switzerland is a pretty good model. I'm pretty sure a number of countries (notably former EFTA members) would welcome the backing of a Britain on their side in fighting the edicts of the EU.<br /><br />I find it interesting this whole 'thing' is characterised between populist 'narrow minded nationalist Little Englanders and protectionists' on the one side, versus the 'younger, more educated, liberal, global free traders' on the other. Personally, I think this fight is actually between some degree of 'socialism' versus 'neoliberalism' where people sink or swim in the currents of international labour demand. Unfortunately, it has become clear that 'socialism' demands some sort of social cohesion and willingness to help one's fellow man. I'm not entirely sure that global trade and capital and mass movement of peoples and cultures fosters much greater motivation than just get your head down and look after you and your family. The so called 'liberal' path literally spells the end of a functioning welfare state and the descent back to a Victorian dystopia that worked for the very few with the rest living short, brutish lives. <br /><br /><br />Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14381013196081166483noreply@blogger.com