It’s been said before, in the last few days but I cannot remember where. Christian Aid has a new report out on the effects of the ending of the Multi-Fibre Agreements.
The ending of the Multi Fibre Agreement on Dec 31 will
have "devastating consequences" for workers in countries such as
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Cambodia, according to Christian Aid.
It is feared that many of their jobs will go to China.
In
its report the charity says the move is a piece of "extreme and
unfettered liberalisation" that will hurt the vulnerable most.
Supporters of the change say scrapping the MFA will increase
competition and efficiency, delivering lower prices to the West.
That last sentence is obviously true. But the rest of the criticism is simply absurd. The MFA has been (after the various restrictions on farm trade) the greatest retraint on free trade in recent decades. Abolishing it is a good thing for everyone, not just us rich whities.
I guess the conclusion has to be that Christian Aid have lost all pretence at economic rationality and therefore deserve no more of our money. Sadly, there will be enough who believe that globalisation is "bad" for them still to get donations somewhere.
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