Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Say No to Protectionism

So the Cadbury family lament the passing of ‘their’ family business into ‘foreign hands’.

There is huge uproar from those that have never studies economics. I’m not saying that I know much, but I know the basics!

Many People in the UK seem to want Protectionism. For those that don’t know - Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining overseas competition by imposing tariffs, restrictive quotas and other barriers on imports as a means to foster the domestic industries and protect them from foreign take-over.

It would be completely wrong for any Political Party in Westminster to force such a policy on Cadburys. Britain would be making a big step backwards. In today's global economy, international takeovers are a fact of life. Plenty of UK firms own American brands.

I was quite stunned and worried to read this blog post by a Tory PPC. He calls for outmoded protectionist laws to keep British things British. This is unbelievably Un-Conservative. It’s not the first time this Candidate has published  a rather Un-Conservative Post. I wonder what his view would be if the  US blocked  BP from opening more petrol stations in the UK.....

Free trade is what keeps both the world and local economies vibrant and ever expanding.

People should want what is best for the company in the long term. For all we know Kraft may invest heavily into Cadbury and push its products much more in the US. Instead of less jobs why couldn’t there be more? Of course job losses could be on the cards. Let’s just wait and see.