John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY NICK DEARDEN IN THE INDEPENDENT
“Trump's trade deal plays an even bigger part in the UK election than you realise
“There are concerns about the damage a US trade deal could do to our whole regulatory system – from food standards to consumer protections to workers’ rights”
I think there can be little doubt that a trade deal with Trump's America is one of the biggest and ugliest threats coming out of Brexit.
Such a deal would not only be seen favorably by many of Boris Johnson’s crowd, it would be viewed as a necessity for trade and economic security after leaving the EU.
And Trump – with the highly aggressive, imperialistic impulses we observe in everything he does - would see Britain’s leaving the security of the EU as a wonderful opportunity to dangle a big trade deal before the eyes of the British government, one that would put Trump’s America “in the driver’s seat.”
It would unquestionably mean many fundamental changes for British society.
I doubt many supporters of BREXIT understand that. Many, I think, see only the part about leaving European regulation and population movement behind.
But the part about embracing many American-demanded changes in British society and bending to future whims and demands is not fully appreciated.
I assure you, it is real. America has about five times the population of Britain and far greater wealth, making its dominance in any negotiation simply overwhelming.
As someone living in a country, Canada, which has a large trade treaty with the United States, I can assure readers that the United States becomes ferociously aggressive behind the scenes when negotiating any trade deal, thinking nothing of asking that old institutions be changed or destroyed.
And Canada, despite having just made a very long and difficult effort to negotiate a new version of its previous treaty, one Trump basically trashed, the new one containing many compromises, still waits patiently to learn whether the American government will even approve it.
As a good example of what to expect, just look at the way Trump’s America treats a solid, innovative, and competitive company like Huawei as part of its vicious trade war against China. It’s appalling, much resembling one of America’s many efforts at coups and covert interventions we see.
Canada when it first negotiated “free trade” with the United States didn’t have the option of staying with a huge market like the EU. The British people should consider the matter very carefully in the election.
