Globalization: the French and British perspectives

By Alex Singleton | 1 November 2005

The current issue of The Economist has a cutting article about France's nervous and pessimistic thinking about its place in the world:

French politicians could have responded to the No vote like statesmen. Instead they seek refuge behind old barriers and old ideas...

[After the vote, French politicians chose to] blame globalisation for every ill and seek refuge in old-time protectionism... A sour protectionist mood has gripped politicians of all stripes, even those who backed the constitution. "France will never let Europe become a mere free-trade area," wrote President Chirac in 25 European newspapers ahead of the Hampton Court meeting. His centre-right government has been incensed by the offer from Peter Mandelson, Europe's (British) trade commissioner, to cut farm tariffs as part of the Doha round of trade talks.

Thank goodness for the British view of globalization - a view that globalization is a win-win situation. As one prominent MP recently said: "I'm an optimist. The glass is always half-full. I always think tomorrow is going to be better than today... We've got to say that our best days are ahead. I don't think there was some golden age of 1985 or 1895. I think that the best days for Britain lie ahead of us."