1945: More than a loan
Our ruling class has a track record of not protecting Britain’s national interest. One typical episode occurred at the end of the Second World War…
Trade
Trade
Oppose all free trade agreements
For Britain to leave the EU and then seek to join other trade blocs is the opposite of asserting independence and sovereignty.
Scotland: Freeports condemned
The RMT union has reacted angrily to the joint announcement from Westminster and the SNP government of two “green freeports”. It says the projects are fatally flawed.
Watch out, there are freeports about
Freeports are a reality. Most workers have never heard of them, but they soon will – and workers’ organisation within them will really matter…
Free trade threat to farming [updated]
British farmers are concerned at the implications of a trade deal “in principle” with Australia agreed on 15 June and being rushed through by the government.
Free trade threat to farming
22 May 2021
Free trade negotiations with Australia being rushed through by the government could have devastating implications for farmers across the UK.
Trade, the new weapon of war
The imperialists are blackmailing the nations of the world – if you want to trade, it’s free trade or nothing…
Stop this anti-protection racket
The government has started consulting over what its new “Global Tariff Policy” should be.
Trade consultation ignores need for industry
9 February 2020
The government is consulting on a new trade policy post-Brexit. And if the consultation is anything to go by, the direction of travel is worrying.
Independence and trade
What’s so good about free trade agreements? They make the rich richer, workers poorer, and they rob countries of the ability to plan…
Made in Britain?
It’s a funny old world when you can look at a 100 per cent British wool men’s suit in Marks and Spencer and discover that it has been manufactured in Cambodia.
Austrian unions celebrate victory over Mercosur free trade
23 September 2019
Austrian trade unions are claiming victory after the Austrian parliament rejected the planned free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur group of countries.
Irish farmers protest
7 August 2019
Beef farmers in Ireland have held a series of protests calling on their government and the EU for support.
We're in good shape for no deal - official
16 June 2019
Britain is in good shape for a no deal Brexit, according to the head of the civil service. He said preparations for leaving the EU without an agreement were now advanced, despite earlier fears.
Straight talk on trade
20 December 2018
This well-argued book from Professor Dani Rodrik examines the effects of globalisation and criticises the economic justfication for it.
Keep Britain out of the Free Trade trap
Siren voices are telling us that we should be negotiating Free Trade Agreements with the US, with the EU, with just about anybody…
1: The road from the WTO to Free Trade Agreements
Multinational corporations, the largest of which dwarf many countries’ economies, want all trade to be regulated in their own interests.
2: The EU's new colonialism
The European Union has been working hard at pressurising developing countries into free trade agreements.
Whisky set to benefit from the Brexit spirit
4 August 2017
The government wants to reduce the cost of exporting whisky after Brexit, with ministers keen to open up new markets around the world for the drink.
Customs union – another unification ploy
The Scottish and Welsh regional administrations are urging the government to stay in the single market – predictably, since it effectively means staying in the EU and under the authority of its Court of Justice. But they are also calling for Britain to stay in the Customs Union.
Real independence and the single market trap
When the EU invented the concept of the “single market”, it was playing fast and loose with language. It’s not so much a market, more a mechanism for enforcing EU control over national economies and national life…
Trade: their freedom, not ours
With the prospect of Britain leaving the EU, we’re starting to hear a lot about “free trade”. Workers should be wary.