|
|
Article: Roquefort cheese spat may be first whiff of a return to fiscal nationalism
- Article from:
- Belfast Telegraph
- Article date:
- February 9, 2009
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Belfast Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
As a symbol of the growing protectionist backlash, it's hard to
beat the recent protests in the UK.
Repeating Gordon Brown's pledge to create "British jobs for
British workers," the protesters demanded protection against foreign
workers in the construction industry.
Protectionism comes in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the
recent spat between the outgoing US administration and the French
over the 300% duty slapped on Roquefort cheese through to the
sweeping trade barriers of the interwar period, triggered by the
1930 US Smoot-Hawley tariff.
With the possible exception of the stink over Roquefort - which
was presumably linked to the American image of the French as "cheese-
eating ...