Kevin Rowan column
Jul 4 2005 By Kevin Rowan, The Journal
Two things are `truisms' that are not very easy to change.
Firstly, in our daily comings and goings we concentrate very closely on the immediate day-to-day problems and challenges that we face, rarely looking up to see even what's going on in the outside world, let alone considering how those actions can affect us directly.
Secondly, we spend most of our time criticising politicians for what they have done and very little effort is expended praising or congratulating them for the achievements they have made.
Last Friday the Government took over the presidency of the European Union and is also hosting the G8 summit of the world's strongest nations in Gleneagles later this week.
At no time in recent history has the UK occupied such predominance on the world stage and it is vital that this opportunity is used for its full potential.
For most workers in the North-East any understanding of or interest in global trade comes from being smacked in the face as their jobs are exported to a developing country where production is cheaper due to lower wage costs often supported by greater state subsidies.
Many of the countries where manufacturing jobs are being exported to from the UK have largely agrarian economies.
They are being encouraged to shift into manufacturing and service industries in part because they are unable to export the goods they produce from farming due the continuing, ridiculous subsidies paid to relatively wealthy European nations under the Common Agricultural Policy - by far the biggest expenditure item in the EU and one of the greatest deterrents to increasing international trade with the developing world.
The consequence is the developing world is not able to increase the prosperity and wealth of its citizens in a way that might create a market for goods we produce in the North-East.
Instead there is a competition about who can produce those goods cheapest in an inevitably shrinking market while the public sector pays multinational agri-businesses to over produce in Europe.
It may not be popular to praise politicians but increasing aid to the poorest countries, writing off crippling debt and leading the fight to use EU resources more effectively are all areas I'm cheering our Government for.
Kevin Rowan is regional secretary of the Northern TUC.
