EU Blocks Blair's Help to Poor Countries
Tony Blair's attempts to walk the walk as far as liberalising trade to the developing world are suffering a blow from the unlikeliest of places.
His old pal Mandy, the New Labour moderniser who set off to the EU last year promising to promote free trade and other British ideals, seems to have gone native. The Guardian reports that Mandy is now pressing Blair to drop his trade aid package aimed at addressing the economic stagnation in the third world.
Blair is the good guy here. His ambitions are admirable. The PC 'developing world' tag favoured by the EU has been widely seen as a bit of a joke, as it is precisely the EU, and its protectionist attitude towards trade with the world's poorer countries that has hindered the poorer countries' development. Blair's plan is to encourage sustainable growth by allowing these countries a fair shot at competing in the global market. As China has illustrated, with advantageous resources such as cheep labour, low production cost and access to raw materials, the 'developing' nations stand a good chance of some economic success. As with China, it is hoped that this economic liberalism will pave the way to social reform and individual liberty.
The EU's position is the same as any other protection racket. They impose trade restrictions that keep the European counties rich by keeping the 'developing' ones poor. It's a despicable state of affairs and Blair is making a positive and moral stand against it. Let's hope the lure of the EU-fatcats and their market control-freakery doesn't get the best of our Tony because, on this, he's spot on.
His old pal Mandy, the New Labour moderniser who set off to the EU last year promising to promote free trade and other British ideals, seems to have gone native. The Guardian reports that Mandy is now pressing Blair to drop his trade aid package aimed at addressing the economic stagnation in the third world.
Blair is the good guy here. His ambitions are admirable. The PC 'developing world' tag favoured by the EU has been widely seen as a bit of a joke, as it is precisely the EU, and its protectionist attitude towards trade with the world's poorer countries that has hindered the poorer countries' development. Blair's plan is to encourage sustainable growth by allowing these countries a fair shot at competing in the global market. As China has illustrated, with advantageous resources such as cheep labour, low production cost and access to raw materials, the 'developing' nations stand a good chance of some economic success. As with China, it is hoped that this economic liberalism will pave the way to social reform and individual liberty.
The EU's position is the same as any other protection racket. They impose trade restrictions that keep the European counties rich by keeping the 'developing' ones poor. It's a despicable state of affairs and Blair is making a positive and moral stand against it. Let's hope the lure of the EU-fatcats and their market control-freakery doesn't get the best of our Tony because, on this, he's spot on.
I'll say it, before Matt does - these posts need to be shorter. I'm as guilty as any
B
Posted by
Ben |
Thu May 19, 12:43:00 pm