Understanding Trump’s Intentions

Now, and you won’t ever hear me say this too much, but I think I understand what he’s trying to do. Ok, I’m not saying, in the manner some do, that the Hitler bloke was a bit misunderstood or Mussolini; at least the trains ran on time. However, when it comes to globalisation, Trump does have a point.

Globalisation: A Global Blitzkrieg

For years, globalisation has been the Blitzkrieg that has slashed and burnt its way around the globe, as companies like Nike used up workforces as they were a commodity that could be used and sourced with all the sensitivity of procuring wood pulp.

The American Worker and Globalisation

I get Trump’s indignation for the American worker, even if it is self-righteous and ironic, given that for years much of the MAGA tat has been made outside of the country. But I still get it. On the whole, the American worker, just like the Mexican, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, and even the British, has been treated appallingly by globalisation.

The Neoliberal Legacy

When Margaret Thatcher and the rest of the neoliberalism cultists cut loose our manufacturing economies for service-based ones, they left the workers treading water in a sea of uncertainty – most never did get those vaunted service economy jobs and just drowned.

The Lifeboats that Never Came

Those that are left are still waiting for the lifeboats. That Trump believes he is throwing the survivors of that shipwreck a lifejacket is both touching and naive. As they say, even a broken watch is right twice a day. The trouble is, like so much of what he does or says, it is all for effect, ignoring logic entirely. A logic ignored by so many of his acolytes.

The Dangers of Outsourcing

The idea that Walmart’s going to pay living wages because he’s pissed off? They’ll just replace cashiers with robots—faster. As will the factories he’s so keen to repatriate. If he thinks bringing manufacturing back means bringing back the jobs too, he’s deluded. Why would you, why on earth would you recreate what was then, when you can reimagine those dark Satanic Mills with AI and automation.

The Disruption of Cause and Effect

Given cause and effect is the mantra of the disrupter, I doubt that he cares that much; however, the little people who stand to lose everything will care, but they don’t matter. The real power lies with those who have lost a fortune in the global meltdown. While those losses are nothing but paper losses until they have to sell, indeed, abstract wealth. But billionaires don’t like being punched in the abstracts. So perhaps it’s time for an orange lettuce.

Naivety in the Desert

The issue is this: in taking a hammer to crack a nut, in choosing tariffs over common sense, his naivety is astounding, for what effectively he has done is planted a tiny sapling in the desert, with the expectation that in a few weeks, he will shelter in the shade – nonsense, of course.

The Market Will Not Be Denied

The searing sun will kill those green shoots long before then; you can’t argue with Mother Nature or the markets. The markets always win. The workers always lose. And the billionaires? They’ll just buy a new watch.