Letters to the Editor | 26 November 2005

Poor countries need tariffs

Contrary to your leading article (‘Full marks to Blair’, 19 November), ActionAid is absolutely correct to challenge Tony Blair’s commitment to forcing free trade in manufactured goods in the WTO ‘Doha round’ of global trade talks.

Labour’s general election manifesto promised no forced liberalisation, and the ‘Doha round’ is about development, not just market access.

Rather than lead to more jobs and less poverty, our research shows that the current proposals for deep tariff cuts in developing countries could bring massive job losses, bankruptcies and factory closures — a development disaster.

Virtually all of today’s developed countries built up their economies using tariffs, subsidies and other forms of government intervention throughout the 19th and most of the 20th century. Evidence shows that it is practically impossible for poor countries to develop without trade protection.
Paul Collins
ActionAid UK, London N19

To encourage the others

Bruce Anderson (‘Conduct unbecoming’, 19 November) might be interested to know that about ten years ago History Today magazine published a detailed and fully documented account of the infamous conviction and execution of the innocent Lieutenant Leigh, after the battle of the Somme in 1916. Mutiny was threatened as soldiers were being shot for cowardice, but officers were not. A clear order came from the High Command: ‘An officer must be charged and shot.’ Lieutenant Leigh got lost in fog, slept in a ditch, and found his way back to his unit next morning, having been absent less than 24 hours. He was court-martialled and shot, the conviction of an officer being widely publicised throughout the army.

After the war a captain of the staff told the whole story, and written orders in the archives were not denied. It was officially stated that the risk of mutiny was so ser-ious that at least one officer had to be shot to demonstrate that officers were subject to military law as well as other ranks.