Blogs by Dave Sharratt

Trump's tariffs and his ability to lead

By Dave Sharratt

So, it turns out that throwing the global economy into disarray without warning or, it appears, any sensible logical rationale, is a very bad idea indeed. In fact, it’s such a poor idea that even the extraordinarily inept occupant of the White House finally noticed.  

This has to be the U.S. equivalent of the foot-shooting Brexit moment but at great speed in its impact on the U.S. Perhaps Trump didn’t notice that his admirer, ex-PM Liz Truss, spooked the markets with her very wonky budget leading to her speedy resignation. Did Trump and his advisers not know that China held £759 billion of U.S. debt? Some analysts and investors feared that China could dump these debts in retaliation to anything Trump throws at them.

After Trump’s introduction of sweeping tariffs, prompting economic retaliation from across the planet he did a swift about turn to mollify a plunging stock market with a cooling-off on the global trade war Trump had so recklessly begun. High tariffs on almost 60 countries are being suspended for 90 days, though some will remain in place, as well as the baseline 10% charge on all imports to the US.

After days of tumbling turmoil the markets rallied, though confidence in the stability of the US administration is likely to remain very wobbly for the foreseeable future.

On top of this, the whole debacle also led to market speculation and some direct accusations that this was an insider trading scam on a global scale. It’s a ‘great time to buy’ said Trump.

The EU chose to suspend its retaliatory action which were originally drafted in response to the original tariffs levied by Trump earlier in his Presidency.

More than 75 countries reached out to Washington seeking negotiations when the US tariffs were announced, so Trump’s administration is likely to be kept busy for some time. The EU is among those preparing for negotiations, though it seems Brussels has no intention of going in on the back foot. The UK hedged and played for time by taking the decision to hold on any threats of retaliation.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU want’s ‘to give negotiations a chance’, and ‘if negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in’.

It was with some relief that a global financial crisis has been, hopefully, averted for now. However Trump would do well not to underestimate the teeth behind the EU’s preference for negotiation. Let's see if his narcissistic reasoning is up to the challenge.  

A timeline of chaos

3rd April
The BBC reports that Donald Trump's politics have shifted considerably over his decades in the public sphere. But one thing he has been consistent on, since the 1980s, is his belief that tariffs are an effective means of boosting the US economy.

9th April

Trump pauses plans to hike US tariffs on most countries except China.

Trump says he will raise US tariffs on Chinese exports to 125% and unveils 90-day pause for other countries.

Trump pauses plans to hike US tariffs on most countries except China
.

April 10th
The EU responds by suspending its retaliatory 25% tariffs.

EU suspends retaliatory 25% tariffs on US goods after Trump U-turn.

April 10th
Donald Trump is facing accusations of market manipulation after posting on social media that it was a “great time to buy”

April 22nd
Donald Trump’s tariffs have unleashed a “major negative shock” into the world economy, the International Monetary Fund has said, as it cut its forecasts for US, UK and global growth.

Robert Reich, a U.S. Democrat and former Secretary for Labor, is an esteemed reporter on Trump and his questionable abilities. Follow him on Facebook

Dave Sharratt
April 2025

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More blogs by Dave…

Could Citizens’ Assemblies help to repair our broken democracy?
By Dave Sharratt

Ancient Athens applied deliberative democracy with the belief that political decisions should be a result of fair and reasonable discussion among its citizens. Unfortunately excluding women and slaves! Thankfully we have moved on from that, but we took our time, with women securing the right to vote a mere 100 years ago.

Citizens’ assemblies are carefully designed bring together a diverse group of people, randomly selected, to listen to credible and balanced expert information. Giving them the time to debate the issues and trade-offs with one another in facilitated discussions. This can lead to more legitimate outcomes with more informed and engaged participants.

One of the most successful and compelling examples in recent years has been the Irish citizens’ assembly on constitutional reform. This cleared the way for the referendum on abortion. The people listened to the recommendation made by assembly members and voted for change. In addition, there have been several other citizens’ assemblies run on issues ranging  from assisted dying to tackling the climate crisis.

Other countries have applied citizens’ assemblies and according to the OECD 320 citizens’ assemblies and juries have been held since 1986 across local, regional and national levels. There is plenty of best practice experience for government to draw on to create an honest, well-informed dialogue on thorny issues connecting the electorate with our politicians.

The Labour Party has made a commitment to apply the citizens’ assembly model to address the democratic deficit and disconnect with the electorate. They are looking closely at the Irish model and it is hoped that within the first 100 days of their tenure there will be a roll out of citizens’ assemblies.

Sue Gray (Downing Street Chief of Staff) said in February 2024:
"The citizens’ assemblies could be used to get agreement on House of Lords reform, give more powers to directly elected mayors and draw up regional-development plans to support house building".
She continued: “This is one way we can help resolve these questions by involving communities at an early stage". Let us hope the Government delivers on this.

See the article from the Constitution Society on this issue HERE>