Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Fairtrade Fortnight
One of the issues David Cameron has rightly sort to place at the heart of the Conservative agenda is that of trade fairness and world poverty. A seeming lack of interest in the party on this issue has definately had a negative impact on how the party is percieved by the general public.
However, it is not very clear on what exactly needs to be done. The Monday just past, the 6th March, started 'Fairtrade Fortnight', which will see 2 weeks of campaigning to get people across the country to buy FairTrade - and at Aberystwyth University itself, I am told by the 'People and Planet' guys, will include attempts to get FairTrade goods into vending machines across campus.
I am sure the campaign will do well, especially here where students try to do play their part. There is no doubt of how much people care. However, we should be clear what our actions are and how they are intended to help before we press on .
You see, I am a huge believer in free trade. I do not believe Adam Smith's lessons on the mutual benefits of voluntary exchange somehow end at the waters edge. As the West has shown, the way to lift developing nations out of poverty is capitalism, capitalism and more capitalism.
Now, is this view compatable with the ideas behind FairTrade? At first glance I see no reference to protectionism in any of the campaign material or the website, so that is a good thing (although if i'm wrong on this please comment). Rather the idea seems to be to get local companies and multi-national corporations to agree to pay above market prices for farmer produce. This is voluntary and not related to government.
So will it work, and is this a good thing? I am not totally convinced. Playing by the market is always ultimately the best way to succeed. But then what on earth could be wrong with voluntarily agreeing to pay desperate third world farmers above market prices for their produce?
I haven't made up my mind on FairTrade, and would be grateful for any additional information on it so that I can decide. But regardless, the need to have this debate, to fully analyse different methods and policies, cannot be disputed. We do care about poverty, we just need to know what to do about it
# posted by Chris Hughes @ 4:01 pm 
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I agree with your overall analysis. There is nothing wrong with fair trade, as long as its voluntary.
The long term solution is definitely free trade though.
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The long term solution is definitely free trade though.
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