How the Brits would vote

Well, I must confess I don’t like the cut of Hillary’s gib – trying too hard, no substance other than spin (we know a bit about this in the UK) but I’m a bit suspicious about Obama, too, and McCain, well, is he today’s man?

But there’s one thing that should concern us Brits and Europeans above all else: the threat of protectionism. What this would mean is that America, in the midst of a recession, shuts up shop and slams import tariffs on all and sundry. And it is a real issue, right now: the recessionary threat is there for all to see, and just look at the noises made about the Airbus consortium EADS, which together with an American company, Northrop-Grumman, won the tanker refuelling contract.

So far both Hillary and Obama have made protectionist noises in their speeches. This would be disastrous for EU/American trade and disastrous for the whole world. McCain doesn’t appear to have touched on the subject so at the moment I’m backing him. But watch them: there is a strong protectionist streak in America and the effects would be far worse than the Iraq war.