Stop Free Trade
Many people want to stop free trade because it doesn’t seem to be the good idea it was meant to be.
What is Free Trade?
Free trade was heralded by governments and leaders over the last 60 years or so, to be the future of trading, giving countries the ability to trade goods and services without barriers or borders. It was intended to stop prices being artificially controlled by subsidies and tariffs, and allow them to rise naturally due to supply and demand. Supposed to be beneficial to all nations, in truth it has worked out very differently.
Who Benefits from Free Trade
Free trade is supposed to be equally beneficial to all, but as George Orwell said in Animal Farm “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”. So it is with free trade, all traders are equal, but some certainly get more than their fair share of the benefits whilst others pick up the pieces. There are certainly some benefits for manufacturers, consumers and producers, but it’s a double edged sword.
Problems with Corporate Globalization
Corporate globalization might look like a really sound idea on the surface, but as with many things, dig a little deeper and you open up a whole heap of trouble. Outsourcing labor, for example, or “off-shoring” might seem to be the answer to cutting your wages bill and increasing productivity, but the truth is it’s backfiring on many of the big industries and it’s time to turn back the clock.
What Free Trade Organizations Do
For as long as free trade has been around, there have been plenty of activists who are firmly opposed to the idea. To be honest, the ideals of free trade are not the problem, but the reality is a long way from the promises of the future which were originally made.
How to Take Action Against Free Trade
There are many different organizations and activists against free trade who welcome any support. There is strength in numbers, and the more people that can lobby their congressmen and bring the real issues of the problems of free trade to the rest of the world, the better. Stand up and be counted.
Free Trade Protest Organization
The FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) has had huge opposition since the day it was conceived. Many states around America have seen a coalition of protestors, including environmentalists, senior citizens, labor groups, human rights campaigners and peace advocates, along with very many ordinary concerned citizens. Protests have been held around the world, with one of the largest and most famous being in Quebec in Canada in 2001, where over 20,000 protestors were present.
Stopping Corporate Globalization
Corporate globalization helps the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, and something needs to be done quickly to stop the rot. Corporate globalization is not the answer, it doesn’t work, and free trade is not equally beneficial to all who take part in it, no matter what the giant corporations might tell you. There must be a better way to help all of the people of the world towards ecological sustainability, a way which puts the interests of the people before the interests of profit and corporations.
Become a Free Trade Activist
Activist is an emotive word isn’t it, and right now there are free trade activists working all over the world to try and save the world from free and from corporate globalization. The theories of free trade might sound inviting, but the reality is very different, and many organizations welcome the opportunity to enlist new free trade activists to help with the cause.
Free Trade Informational Links
For anyone who is interested in finding out more information about the problems of free trade and corporate globalization, there are some great links and resources with lots more information.