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Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Tit for tat
I never considered myself as a leftist. I am in favor of things like capitalism (with some restraints imposed by the state) and globalisation. In my youth that sort of opinion was about center right. Today some people make it sound as if globalisation is a left-wing idea, especially where it concerns the freedom of movement of people. As I am not living and working in my country of birth, I am very much in favor of freedom of movement. There is a wealth of data that proves that in the majority of cases freedom of movement is beneficial for both the person moving, and the country he is moving to.
Having said that, I also understand why some people are afraid of unrestricted freedom of movement. And the failure of the powers that be over the last decades to properly manage that fear to me is the source for the end of the globalisation consensus. In all the countries where far right populists have come to power, the promise "keeping foreigners out" was always a big part of their success.
The problem with that promise is that everybody is a foreigner in most of the world. Most people quite like *their* freedom of movement. So you get British pensioners in Spain cheering on Brexit, with its recently announced point-based immigration system; without thinking that if Spain decided to implement *exactly* the same system, they wouldn't qualify to stay in Spain. Something like that is rather likely to happen over the coming years, and I don't think the Brexit-leaning British newspapers will say "oh, that's only fair!". No, they will be outraged how Europe would dare to treat Britain that way, even if it was just tit for tat.
Having said that, I also understand why some people are afraid of unrestricted freedom of movement. And the failure of the powers that be over the last decades to properly manage that fear to me is the source for the end of the globalisation consensus. In all the countries where far right populists have come to power, the promise "keeping foreigners out" was always a big part of their success.
The problem with that promise is that everybody is a foreigner in most of the world. Most people quite like *their* freedom of movement. So you get British pensioners in Spain cheering on Brexit, with its recently announced point-based immigration system; without thinking that if Spain decided to implement *exactly* the same system, they wouldn't qualify to stay in Spain. Something like that is rather likely to happen over the coming years, and I don't think the Brexit-leaning British newspapers will say "oh, that's only fair!". No, they will be outraged how Europe would dare to treat Britain that way, even if it was just tit for tat.
- posted by Tobold @ 6:43 PM Permanent Link
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I don't think I've ever heard "globalization" described as anything other than a tenet of the political right. I also have never associated freedom of movement with globalization. If there's any connection at all it's the freedom of multinationals to move their manufacturing processes to the lowest waged economy, which is hardly a left-leaning trope.
Also, ex-pat Brits living in Spain have been objects of derision in Britain itself for as long as I've been aware of their existence. They are a byword here for self-centered ignorance and always have been. The feeling I've most often heard expressed is that we're happy to be shot of them. The only tears likely to be cried for them if Spain ever has the good sense to kick them out would be over the prospect of having to have them back.
Also, ex-pat Brits living in Spain have been objects of derision in Britain itself for as long as I've been aware of their existence. They are a byword here for self-centered ignorance and always have been. The feeling I've most often heard expressed is that we're happy to be shot of them. The only tears likely to be cried for them if Spain ever has the good sense to kick them out would be over the prospect of having to have them back.
Maybe the political right has moved to the right of globalization? People like Trump, Johnson, or Orban are definitively on the political right, but they are clearly against globalization.
I fear the misunderstanding comes from the meaning given to "globalization". The right is very much in favor of globalization in the economic sense of open markets and free movement of capitals, for the left globalization is more in the equality of rights and laws on the planetary scale.
Definitely. Neither of them want to close down exchange with the outside world, they want it, but with their rules.
BTW posting is getting harder and harder, now not only I have to select a ton of images, but they are out of focus, I guess they hope to hinder automatic recognition.
BTW posting is getting harder and harder, now not only I have to select a ton of images, but they are out of focus, I guess they hope to hinder automatic recognition.
Ultimately for the left and right, globalisation is a tool to deliver their priorities.
The left's priority is to protect local workers. They have traditionally been skeptical of globalisation because it puts local workers in competition with cheap overseas labour. The right were generally in favour of wealth creation. They favoured the elimination of barriers to trade because that tends to increase net wealth.
The Western European model for social liberalism merged the two objectives. Their original raison d'être was peace through trade, so they tend to be very free with their free-trade agreements on condition that countries align with their generally more stringent position on employee and consumer rights.
As a result, the left now see trade agreements as a bulwark; enshrining the hard-earned rights and conditions of local workers from being eroded by right leaning governments. The right are moving away from globalisation to protect their wealth. They are erecting barriers against countries who may be undercutting them through unfair trade practices, as a weapon against EU-led standards that constitute barriers to trade.
There is also a lot of votes going to populist politicians advocating a retrenchment against globalisation, created by countries failed to ensure that wealth generated by globalisation reached the people that were disadvantaged by the change.
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The left's priority is to protect local workers. They have traditionally been skeptical of globalisation because it puts local workers in competition with cheap overseas labour. The right were generally in favour of wealth creation. They favoured the elimination of barriers to trade because that tends to increase net wealth.
The Western European model for social liberalism merged the two objectives. Their original raison d'être was peace through trade, so they tend to be very free with their free-trade agreements on condition that countries align with their generally more stringent position on employee and consumer rights.
As a result, the left now see trade agreements as a bulwark; enshrining the hard-earned rights and conditions of local workers from being eroded by right leaning governments. The right are moving away from globalisation to protect their wealth. They are erecting barriers against countries who may be undercutting them through unfair trade practices, as a weapon against EU-led standards that constitute barriers to trade.
There is also a lot of votes going to populist politicians advocating a retrenchment against globalisation, created by countries failed to ensure that wealth generated by globalisation reached the people that were disadvantaged by the change.
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