The TGS free trade theory

A good week's sailing, lots of good wind and good crew. More to drink and eat in a week than I would normally do in month, so more gym work to be had!

We were joined by an extra person for the last night which led t a rather bizarre alcohol fuelled debate. We got on to the subject of trade and the EU. new crew insisted that we needed to be part of the EU as it would give us economies of scale when it came to trade. I pointed out that I would rather have the scale of the world and that the EU was stopping me trading as I liked.

This went on for a while and he wouldn't see that the EU was distorting trade by using trade barriers. I used the example of New Zealand lamb and that it should be up to me whether I want to buy it or not. His view was that they now traded in Asia wouldn't want to trade with us!

In the end he christened my view that trading with the whole world would be the best way out of the world recession disparagingly as "Simon's free trade theory". By now I had lost the will to live and couldn't be bothered arguing with someone who thinks trading with the EU is preferable to trading with the whole world and that it wasn't my theory.

What was worrying is that he works in a senior IT position in the City writing programs for traders!