By Jack Graham Reactionary nationalists like to portray themselves as the only true patriots, but wanting the best for your country ought to mean embracing openness and progress Nasty nationalism is back in force in Western politics. Since the Brexit vote, government ministers have attacked Remainers – those who wish Britain to remain in the European Union (EU) – and sceptical journalists for being unpatriotic. In the US, Donald Trump …
Continue readingCan Brexit Britain really become a global trader?
By Guy de Jonquières There is no need to leave the EU to trade more with the rest of the world; Germany exports five times more to China than Britain does. Indeed, far from creating an open, free-trading Global Britain, Brexit is likely to close the UK off more Brexit enthusiasts love to talk up the wealth of economic opportunities they claim Britain will have once it leaves the EU. …
Continue readingLeaked UK immigration proposals could wreck hopes of a Brexit deal
It’s been a bad week for those of us who believe in open societies. Donald Trump cancelled an Obama-era programme that shields from deportation undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children. And leaked UK immigration proposals set out harsh terms for EU citizens after Brexit that threaten to scupper the already deadlocked Brexit negotiations. It is morally wrong to threaten to deport young people who basically know only the US, have done nothing wrong and should not be held responsible …
Continue readingFree trade requires openness to people too
By Philippe Legrain Britain’s international trade minister, Liam Fox, was in Washington DC this week crowing about prospects for a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. Cue much clucking about whether this would entail the UK having to accept “chlorinated chicken”. Fox insisted that there wasn’t even a nugget of truth to fears that American poultry was unsafe to eat. But feathers flew when another leading Brexiteer, environment minister …
Continue readingWhy the EU-Japan trade deal matters, not least for Brexiting Britain
By Hosuk Lee-Makiyama Free traders haven’t had much good news lately. So far this year, we’ve seen President Donald Trump withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), start to renegotiate the North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and threaten trade wars with Germany and China. Meanwhile, Europe’s trade policy has been mired in crisis following the near-failed ratification of its Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada and legal wrangling over its …
Continue readingBrexit: A solution in search of a problem
Philippe’s newsletter last week included the quote “Brexit matters to voters not because of what it is, but what it brings”. The past week only brought more uncertainty about purpose. Why did we just have an election? And whatever the voters once thought leaving the EU would bring, many voters now think of Brexit as a solution in search of a problem. And some find the most contrived arguments to find a problem: the right-wing tabloids …
Continue readingThe cost of cutting immigration
The surest way to cut immigration is to crash the economy – and Brexiting Britain is leading the way. Official figures released this week confirmed that growth slowed to a mere 0.2% in the first three months of the year, while net migration – arrivals minus departures – fell by a quarter to 248,000 in 2016. With the pound worth much less and inflation outpacing wages, Britain is a less attractive …
Continue readingWhy the French elections matter, plus skilled immigration
Hi French people vote tomorrow in the first round of presidential elections that could do grave harm to Europe’s open societies – or strengthen them. With polls too close to call, four candidates stand a chance of making it into the run-off on May 7th. The far-left candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, is ostensibly open towards refugees. But despite his internationalist talk, he is essentially a nationalist, argues Natalie Nougayrède in the Guardian. He is a …
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