Posted: Sep 24, 2010 11:53 am
NineOneFour wrote:
I hate to say this, Hugin, but she has you there. To have truly free trade, there would have to be no subsidies, and the EU and American states are chock full of them.
Too true, but some seem worse than others. Ie US cotton states, who get their massive subsidies because they hold an unrepresentive numbers of senators per population/state size , and of course the French farmers who are the descendants of Napoleons Imperial guard when they feel threatened financially.
False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World by Alan Beattie is an interesting insight into how free trade isn’t all that free after all but highly influenced and managed. It is where I learned the above from.
Britain might have some subsidies too but I don’t think you tend to hear about your own dirty linen. But we Brits tend to think it is rip off Britain when it comes to comparing prices abroad.