Sometimes politicians blurt out the pure unvarnished truth even against their devious instincts. I cannot beat this gem from French farm minister Herve Gaymard, who on Tuesday brushed aside British complaints over farm subsidies, saying the Brits only wanted the EU to be a free trade zone.
As the saying goes, I do believe he’s got it!
If the EU were only a free trade zone, we’d have to show passports at the borders again. How about a free trade zone that is open for people too?
“I have lots of admiration for Britain’s culture, I think the British bring a lot to Europe. But they have to be European,” Gaymard added.
Imagine if a US congressman were to say, “I have lots of admiration for Mexico’s culture, I think the Mexicans bring a lot to North America. But they have to be North American.” The Left would immediately assume that the congressman were calling for Borg-like conformity.
In this hypothetical case, the Left may or may not be right, depending on the context of the congressman’s comment. But Gaymard seems to be pretty clear: British commerce will be assimilated. Resistence is futile.
I want the whole freakin’ world to be a free trade zone. If I want to buy anything, whether it’s from Akron or Astrakhan, the only government red tape I want to have to deal with is calculating the sales tax. That’s my trade policy.