In the lead up to a story about Brexit (a lesson politicians should have learned eons ago: never bet the ranch, or the country, that the vox populi will say what you want them to), they mention how Brexit was sold: as an improvement in trade which would reap windfalls for Britain, who had the whip hand in such matters and could not but be stronger.
Sound familiar?
It should, as the architect of Brexit was ideological bosom buddies with Trump, and visited America shortly after Trump won the election. Now, NPR tells me, manufacturers warn darkly they may have to leave the UK in order to stay competitive and trade in Europe on a level playing field. Turns out the sun does set on the British Empire in the 21st century. Who knew?
Again: sound familiar?
I have to dampen the schadenfreude by acknowledging "free trade" was sold as the painless panacea for all our ills, too. There is no such thing as a painless panacea, and free trade is as fraught with problems as protectionism. Still, Britain has sown dragon's teeth and is now reaping the whirlwind, from what will happen at the Irish border to what will happen to British manufacturing to "where are the lollipops, Clarence?"
Which, in the near future, is going to sound very familiar, indeed.
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