The USA is one of the most protectionist trading nations in the world, they preach free trade, markets and democracy but practice the opposite.

Nick P., Camberley Surrey, UK

They have learn't from the labour party,if you don't worked for minimum wage a pole will work for less,in reality america has to be retrained to understand their leaders are nolonger incharge of their futures,its global workforce and america has to be lean and mean, thast is no free meal tickets for trillion dollar wars.

MICAHEL, cahersiveen>adams towns, madness

Free trade has helped the US. From the UK perspective there are a whole host of sectors where US firms dominate. The whole global software industry seems to be run from the US. The world's most successful semi-conducter manufacturers are all US based. Half the worlds planes come from the US. High tech defence equipment is mainly US based. Most of the city banking institutions in the UK are US owned. Half our TV is made in the US. The sectors where the US is struggling (like automotive) is simply because US products aren't very good, and are ill-suited to any other market.

The problem for the US is that its generally right-wing laissez-faire politics mean the losers (of course there are winners and losers) lose big time, and are offered little help and thus no share in the (overall) rewards.

Nick, France,

We always get the argument in favour of free trade and globalisation. Does this mean there is no credible case for protectionism at all? Is there anyone in the political and economic world out there that will write in favour of the protectionist argument? And would this newspaper print it? When we get told there is only one possible side to a story we eventually get to wonder whether the truth may be a little more complex than the power brokers want to admit. There are even two sides to the global warming case, but our green taxing politicians seem to ignore the troubling data that doesn't fit their argument.

Trevor, Rome, Italy

Free trade is smart and good economics when it is with countries of similar minds on basic values such as child labor, environmental impact regulation, and the rule of law (e.i. small corruption level). Otherwise, if is foolish to establish even competition with competitors that play by different rules. You would hear little to no anti-free trade sentiments coming from the US if all of our world partners were like the UK, but they are not. As long as free trade deals are made with countries like China that have child labor, ridiculous wages, horrific environmental impacts and massive corruption, THIS American will oppose them, because it's like showing up to a basketball game wearing ski-boots. That's not fair competition nor fair trade. It's just stupid.

Kurt Heckman, Hagerstown, Maryland

in a world with no safety nets if you want someone's help you first have to get their attention. Shooting them in the leg won't help you and it won't won't help them help you - but it will get their attention. Think of it as a way of instigating dialogue.
/the alternatives, glorified begging, have not proven efficatious-the other notion - the suggested notion - to do nothing, and trust the good intentions of the market --hmm, somehow that doesn't catch the imagination it's immoral
- long ago my friends father worked driving a truck for the herald tribune - the high salaries allegedly drove the paper out of existence - my friends reply?- it puts the bread on the the table. end of story nobody loves anybody boo hoo boo hoo

glenn schaefer , holbrook, ny

It would be great for Canada if the US of A wants to renegotiate NAFTA. It would free Canada of a bad energy deal and allow us to control how much oil we send south or elsewhere. The previous conservative government negotiated away Canada's energy sovereignty - we'd love to get it back.

Paul, Vancouver, Canada

At least the McDonalds in Britain are employing British citizens. The McDonalds in the U.S. are employing illegal immigrants from Mexico. And Lou Dobbs speaks to a lot of us, even those of us in urban Southern California.

Robbie, San Diego, CA
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Perhaps you should come to Britain and take a look at our McDonalds before you say that rather than making silly assumptions. They're mainly staffed by immigrants from Eastern Europe, not that I have any problem with that.

Andy, London,

I am an unemployed semiconductor engineer. I don't give
a dam about free trade. I have voted for the Republicans for
25 years -- never again. They claimed that free trade would
stop illegal immigration -- it did not. We now have a boarder
war going on in the southern US border with the drug runners.
Over 130 people have been killed in LA since the first of the
year because of the drug wars. Free trade was played as
helping everyone improve their standard of living; for the vast
majority of Americans Free Trade has been a false promise.
Obama and Clinton are correct to blame Free Trade but
watch they will do nothing but talk and talk and talk.

John, Placentia, OC California

I'm getting really tired of being told how good NAFTA has been for the US. The reality is that the disappearing American middle class is the major casualty, as the skilled high paying jobs they held have now been outsourced to developing nations at much lower wages. I'd like the writer of this article to explain exactly what he thinks those workers should have been retrained to do . . . flip hamburgers?

Perhaps it was inevitable, that the affluence in the US would seep out into the rest of the world like water seeking its' own level. But I am leery of the reality that America is losing its' industries and its' skilled laborers, and that there are no comparable jobs to replace the income lost to these Americans, nor is there any way to maintain their skills should they ever become needed again in or by this nation.

Carleen Stephens, Battle Ground, Washington State, USA

At least the McDonalds in Britain are employing British citizens. The McDonalds in the U.S. are employing illegal immigrants from Mexico. And Lou Dobbs speaks to a lot of us, even those of us in urban Southern California.

Robbie, San Diego, CA

Good article. I found it interesting when working in China to hear that, while it didn't like their foreign policy, the Chinese government liked the Republican Party for their support of free trade. This small-town protectionist rhetoric electioneering may force the Democrats' hand

gwana, London,

The Obama- Hillary fight continues, and is quite the spectacle to say the least. They both pander to the voters with their tongues hanging out... In America we have serious issues that need to be dealt with, such as healthcare. I wish we could just adopt the British model which is the best healthcare system in the world. Especially when I'm wandering around out here in America with no healthcare coverage at all. You see I'm one of the estimated 47 million without healthcare in the US. I went to hospital twice , was smacked across the face each time with huge bills, and then I was sued in district court for the hospital bills and attorney's fees - it's a real bloody mess! But we can't get any substance from either democratic candidate. What we do get is abject foolishness-like Hillary downing a shot and a beer with some drunks at a bar. What a shame and embarrassment ! It makes me want to weep! The democratic choice is between 'tweedle dee' or 'tweedle dumb'...as far as I'm concerned.

Robert Tilford , McCracken, USA, Kansas

Great column, Aaronovitch.

Joseph, NYC, USA