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pampango

(24,692 posts)
Tue Jan 3, 2012, 06:49 PM Jan 2012

Let Britain join NAFTA (if it wants out of the EU) :) [View all]

This past weekend in Brussels British Prime Minister David Cameron finally ended the half-century-old British debate about whether it wants to be part of Europe or not. Cameron's conclusion, of course, was no.

This is not at all surprising as the Brits have never really had their hearts in the European project. When the European Economic Community (EEC or Common Market) was founded in 1958, Britain was invited to join. Its reply was "thanks, but no thanks." Then in 1972, when the Common Market looked like it was going to be a real success, London changed its mind and was admitted to membership claiming that the place of Britain was at the heart of Europe. But then began a long series of negotiations for special exceptions and conditions for the British, and in the internal debates, the weight of Britain was always thrown on the scales for less economic integration and for absolutely no political integration.

I, Clyde Prestowitz, suggest that the United States, Canada, and Mexico invite Britain to join NAFTA. We could change its name from the North American Free Trade Area to simply the Northern Free Trade Area or the North Atlantic Free Trade Area. It would make all kinds of sense for Britain since its concepts of unfettered free markets and free trade are much closer to those of the North Americans than they are to the more regulation-oriented and mercantilist concepts of continental Europeans. Britain already does an immense amount of trade with North America and is the alternate center of operations for much of the North American financial industry.

Of course, the Canadians and Mexicans might not go for this, in which case Washington could offer statehood to Britain, or separately to England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The U.S. flag would have either 51 or 54 stars and there would never again be any question of the Germans or French or the bureaucrats in Brussels calling the tune in London.

http://prestowitz.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/12/13/let_britain_join_nafta

The UK is a lot like Canada. If the UK pisses the EU off enough, it can either go it alone or join another group.

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