Colin James on Free Trade

Colin James writes on the pros and cons of free trade.

I especially like his second to last paragraph:

China and India locked themselves away and stayed poor. Now both have rising middle classes. In 50 years the poor there will be much better off. Restore agricultural product prices in poor Africa, allow real access to the rich countries’ overcharged consumers and give Africa’s own consumers a break with cheap world goods and Africans might at last climb off the floor. Development economics hasn’t worked. (Corrupt governments haven’t helped.)

Africa doesn’t need Live AId or Live 8. It needs Live Trade.