Actions not words

Posted at 6.40pm UK time

I’m always pleased when slow-learners finally get it, but amid talk of the Tories adopting pro-industrial, pro-family and anti-woke policies, remember that their actions in government over the past 11 years have been exactly the opposite.

Actions not words...

Read William Clouston’s article on ‘The indifference of free trade’ here. The Conservative Party’s talk of adopting pro-industrial policies is particularly relevant following our recent break from the EU.

The Conservative Party’s reaction to the basic arithmetic of trade deficits is to market the second category (selling assets we made yesterday) as something positive; as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). However, the FDI label is misleading. Rather than generating investment in new endeavours or industries, most FDI foreign investors taking equity stakes in long-established assets, businesses, or pieces of infrastructure – it represents a literal selling off of the family silver.

As Britain’s withdrawal from the EU finally approaches, we must shake off the indifference of our current leaders and confront head-on the question of industry and trade.