>Full Question Wording:
>What do you think about the growing trade and business ties between (survey
>country) and other countries ö do you think it is a very good thing,
>somewhat good, somewhat bad or a very bad thing for our country?
>Now thinking about you and your family - do you think the growing trade and
>business ties between our country and other countries are very good,
>somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad for you and your family?
and said:
>[I keep arguing that protectionism isn't a popular political stance, but I
>have a hard time getting anyone to acknowledge this. More evidence...]
I don't think the response (in favour of trade) is terribly surprising, given the questions that were asked. I used to watch CounterSpin, a CBC political debate program, and one time they were "in the field" (in Montreal, I think) where they had a panel of pro- and anti-free trade types.
One young man identified himself as a "fair trader" (and he was among the protesters) who wasn't interested in "stopping trade". During the candidates debate for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party of Canada (I think it was), David Orchard (from the left wing of the party) was denounced by Hugh Segal for his dislike of free trade (the words, "digging a moat around Canada" were bandied about"), but Orchard insisted he wasn't interested in autarky.
I don't think "trade" per se is the issue, but free trade. It's populary acknowledged that the prime minister who brought free trade to Canada, Brian Mulroney, lost the federal Conservatives almost all their seats in Commons because of this one deed (and he's still reviled AFAIK). If Pew had put the term "free" along with "trade" the results would have been less accepting of "trade" I think.
And a question for you, Doug: Why do you place the whole debate in terms of "free trade vs. autarky"? Can't we have something in the middle? Or are you just "bending the bow" against (real or perceived) proponents of (literal) autarky? I would think, given how you've quoted Marx before about free trade, that it's something you would simply accept as part and parcel of capitalism and point out that there are benefits (eg swelling the ranks of the proles) to go along with any (real and/or perceived) hardship (wages not going up, while prices go down).
Todd
_________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/features&pgmarket=en-ca&RU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca