cooperation is all good but you can't sacrifice nearly your entire secondary industries sector in the bargain. It has dire consequences that takes businesses and economies forever to climb out of.
If you go back into colonial history, the Brits basically did this:
1. They set up trading with countries they wanted to benefit from.
2. Then, to drive the local businesses out of business they flooded the markets with cheaply made manufactured goods (Clothes were a classic tool as that drove weavers out of business and had the added benefit of delivering the cotton growers into the waiting arms of the british manufacturers who then could dictate cotton prices with no local weavers to make for competition).
3. Then when the local political leaders made noise about the destruction of the economy they invaded them (somewhat irrelevant today but we know who flexed their economic-political muscle recently).
4. Once the host economy has been made slave, every effort was made to subvert local educational institutions and attempts to set up competing businesses there.
5. End result: Large populations of educated people that knew nothing better than to serve the purpose of the brits and guaranteed a drain of wealth for a long long time.
If you look closely, there are many many parallels to the current ways of doing things. Retailers demand cheaper and cheaper products and manufacturers continue to take their core business activity outside, in turn leaving the population dumber and with far fewer resources to throw off the economic dependance.
In aircraft, we were taught how to identify if a particular sized strut (column) was a european design or an american design. Basically, if it was forged, it was american and if machined - european. Why?? Because the US overtook Europe in the heavy forging industry a long time ago and the europeans never quite recovered that business. This is a very very very tame example of how letting go sticks with you forever. India allowed chinese toy imports at some stage. The result was a near total destruction of the local toy making industry at that time. And the imports were cheap ****. People had been used to good local quality and regulation had never been set up (like a lot of things back then). People bought the cheaper imports mindless (and not knowing) the dangers of the cheap imports, we all know today how dangerous cheap poorly made toys can be to kids. Its things like this that governments have to take a position and protect industry.
There are economies where american business was opposed tooth and nail for a long long time and they continue to have decent local business, they even export!
Many economies aimed for economic independence over the 20th century, and, unfortunately, history seems to suggest that we gain more through cooperation.
^ is just naive, those that succeeded have very resilient economies. European countries still have way more economic power per capita than anywhere else and they steadfastly refuse to give up on local industry. I don't get what the fan following of the USA is all about, they are mismanaged, have some of the poorest people in one of the richest most powerful countries, a huge rich-poor divide, EXPENSIVE health systems, VERY expensive education etc etc............... and still every attempt is made to emulate the american way!
Well, that was all pretty much OFF TOPIC.
btw, I never suggested you buy your 5 pounds of hops here, that would be stupid, what I am suggesting is that this government does need to put that power of real choice back in your hands, what you described is a no brainer choice.
edit: spelling
