Protectionism isn't Marxism

As popular support for the British National Party continues to grow, the mainstream centre right has stepped up its attack on the party's protectionist economic policies, arguing that it's hypocritical for a socially right-wing party to be supporting "Marxist" economics.

This shows how confused many mainstream centre-right pundits are about the connection between political ideologies and economic policies.

Protectionism is an economic strategy, not a moral principle, and over the last two centuries it's been used by both the right and left according to the economic needs of the time.

Despite what many contemporary mainstream conservatives claim, free trade is not an ideological cornerstone of conservative thinking. Many traditional conservatives such as Patrick Buchanan support protectionism because they are opposed to the modern welfare state, and would rather protect local industries from foreign competition than compensate workers through welfare.

Similarly, many of free trade's most active supporters have been progressive left-liberal governments, who have used the disruptions caused by free trade to expand the power of the welfare state and promote left-liberal social policies. Lange and Keating for example, had no problem reconciling their anti-Western cultural Marxism with staunch support for neo-liberal free trade policies.

Similarly, many people on the nationalist right don't necessarily support protectionism. Ethno-nationalists who support free trade argue that protecting low-wage industries will encourage more third world immigration as manufacturers seek to establish sweat shops at home rather than abroad.

Arguably the BNP does need spend more time thinking about the workability of its economic policies, and whether too much protectionism will alienate potential middle-class voters.

However, voters are unlikely to be put off from voting for the BNP just because it questions existing free trade dogma.

Trade policy is a difficult and complex area which needs to be addressed pragmatically, not ideologically.