Why the Brexiteers are lying about trade

I once wrote and presented a 30-minute documentary on BBC Radio 4 about the World Trade Organisation in Geneva. It was more exciting than it sounds, honest – but only because I tried very hard to make the subject interesting, lively and amusing.

I’m afraid though that I was much less successful at doing so than the negotiations and trade policy expert Dmitry Grozoubinski is in his new book, Why Politicians Lie About Trade… And What You Need To Know About It.

Trade is a difficult subject; sometimes dry as dust and full of legalese. There is lots of insanely detailed and complicated data, discussed in secret, time-consuming negotiations. If that was not bad enough, all those factors, as the book’s title makes clear, enable this to be an area which politicians lie about all the time.

That matters, because as Grozoubinski, trade is an increasingly important part of the world’s economic system, and deeply affects everything from national wealth, jobs, the environment, climate change and working conditions, to war and peace.

Removing barriers to trade has been going on in its current form since at least 1945; as nations realised that beggar-my-neighbour trade policies were one of the reasons for the Great Depression. Unfortunately, like in so many other areas, that consensus has started to fray – and to a very large extent, this is where the lying comes from.

My only real bugbear is that the book’s title should really be Why Brexit Politicians And Trump Lie About Trade, but Grozoubinski has tried very hard to be as impartial and non-judgmental as possible. It is just that with nearly every example he gives of the misconceptions, misinformation and outright lies that politicians tell about trade, trade deals, and trade negotiations, you are immediately reminded of the lies of Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and pretty much every Brexit-supporting MP.

Whether it is “We can leave the EU and have all the advantages of the Single Market”, or “We will be fine on WTO only terms” or “Our trade deal with Australia is a game-changer” this is the book to calmly and clearly explain why that was all not merely ignorant and misleading tosh but was totally deranged, deliberate lying.

Grozoubinski obviously believes the best way to deal with liars is to drain the swamp by educating as many people as possible about the realities of international trade and trade negotiations.

This he achieves with ease. The examples are amusing and clear, the facts are laid out calmly, the history is helpful, and he is scrupulously fair in not mentioning who he is really talking about when he finally brings you to the simple conclusion that you have been lied to.

I would strongly recommend this book not just because we all need to know about international trade, the costs and benefits and the multi-layered complications and trade-offs involved. But also, because its lessons reach far beyond trade.

It is an excellent template for anyone who wants to spot liars and understand the eternal question: “Why is that lying bastard lying to me?”

Why Politicians Lie About Trade by Dmitry Grozoubinski is published by Cambury Press. The New European readers can get 20% off by ordering here (discount applies automatically in the basket)