I went to a superb lecture in Edinburgh yesterday, by historian David Cannadine where he analysed dispassionately the arguments by the two sides in the Brexit debate and put it all in the context of Britain’s search for a new role in the world following the loss of our empire.
When Q&A came there was a question about EU restrictions on state aid for ailing industries, a key plank of left wing anti EU arguments. His response was to point to Thatcher’s free market and privatisation agenda and compare it to the concerted - and legal - efforts by the French and Germans to protect their key industries and create national champions. We have always had a much more open economy than most on the continent so selling the crown jewels was never seriously challenged by either major party. |