Irwin Stelzer writes a great piece in today’s Telegraph, characterising Gordon Brown and George Bush as united by their strident belief in free trade:
“Both have a relaxed attitude towards the free movement of people, and are therefore reluctant to prevent immigrants from joining their nations’ workforces.
Both resist efforts to raise barriers to the free flow of goods into their countries, with an occasional politically necessitated lapse on Bush’s part. And both favour the free flow of capital and welcome the investment of sovereign wealth funds in their nations’ financial and other institutions.
The British Prime Minister and the American President might be the last two men standing in the fight against protectionism. Unless you count Tony Blair and John McCain, which you probably shouldn’t, since Blair is otherwise engaged, and McCain has a long way to go before he sits in the Oval Office where he can affect trade policy.
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