Protectionists from all shades of the political spectrum are living in a past that can never be recreatedThe Tata Steel sale has revived the battle between protectionists and free traders,a debate that became particularly acute in the hasten-up to the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1995, which marked the success of “free traders” all around the world.
In the protectionist camp, or there is now a wide range of political parties from the extreme left to the extreme factual: from Syriza to Ukip,from the Front National to Podemos. The common element for all these parties is that they dream of returning to a time when “we were in control”; when we could easily open or close our borders; when the world was manageable and small and we did not have to compromise. That is why they want national rules rather than international ones; and that is also why ultimately most of them despise the EU, because it is based not on direct control but on compromise.
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Source: theguardian.com