Bagehot: Global Britain,SOS

摘要

With your back to the open sea, an island can feel encircled, even claustrophobic. Turn to face the waves and an island feels like a starting point, a place surrounded by a variety of bracing possibilities, both good and bad. Britain has the politics of an island. At worst, its political debate can be parochial, even tin-eared about the world outside. Yet Britain is an outrider for openness, standing out among large European nations for its faith in free trade, liberalised markets and undistorted competition. In many neighbouring countries, calls to reject free trade and embrace protectionism attract a quarter or more of the vote. Not in Britain. Yet in island politics, the temptation to gaze inward is never far away.