Fighting Poverty with Free Trade

Global Growth Org campaigns against the causes of poverty in developing countries. Believe it or not that means lack of the rule of law, corruption and protectionism. It’s nice to see that someone doesn’t believe that Neo-Socialism is the answer to every problem. They had a nice surprise when they went to Bournemouth this week. Someone agreed with them. Alan Duncan, Member of Parliament and Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, told the Conservative Party's annual conference that a future Conservative government would "reach out with practical help to the developing world.

Curing poverty is not easy. Redistribution, for instance, is never a lasting solution. But allowing people to create their own wealth is. India and China have welcomed the free market and have opened up to global trade, and have experienced a huge and unprecedented reduction in poverty affecting the life of millions of people. But other countries, whose wealth is mainly agricultural, cannot imitate their success while the rich world shackles free trade with tariff barriers and export subsidies. Open, free markets are the solution to poverty. Protectionism is the enemy. One of the most protectionist systems is the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. It is utterly unacceptable that a system designed for the world's richest should end up penalising the world's poorest. We will not stand for that. And whereas our priority is to concentrate on reducing poverty, the EU often prefers instead to use its aid money for political objectives in neighbouring countries.

What can I add except to say that the CAP is also a weight on our shoulders as consumers, particularly those with low incomes who spend a larger part of their income on food. Lets scrap it.