Hamish McRae has yet another article in the Independent today arguing that globalisaiton is wonderful, or at least inevitable; and that we will be fine in this country providing we compete for the jobs that require intelligence rather than cheap labour; I must have glanced at this, on a breakfast table spread with newspapers, at exactly the right angle to illuminate just how preposterous this hope is.
There’s nothing wrong with the logic, of course — or nothing much wrong with the logic: let’s assume for the moment that there is in fact free global competition for interesting jobs among intelligent and well-educated people of any nationality. Now ask yourself where on that scale you would rank the British. If you answered “We have one of the best-educated, most cosmopolitan and best-disciplined workforces in the world”, award yourself a suitable prize — something like an A at GCSE.