Something has happened to how people perceive the role of trade in development. Even last year this was anathema to many NGOs, who saw it as a tool used by Western multi-nationals to profit by exploiting poor countries. Rich countries had to be bullied and shamed into handing over more of their wealth to desperate poor countries.

Now it’s changed. Suddenly someone has taught some of the NGOs about wealth creation. They used to be terribly concerned about the distribution of the world’s wealth, now they are joining us in trying to have more wealth created. They used to talk about us exploiting them by buying their goods too cheaply. Some still do, and some still misuse donations for anti-capitalist political campaigns, but increasing numbers are joining us in urging rich countries to open their markets so that poorer people can create wealth by selling us their goods.

Of course, even as they embrace trade many still think in pre-Adam Smith terms of maximizing exports and minimizing imports, and urge them to protect their own markets with tariffs as they enter our markets. But we can be confident that this error, too, will not last long.

The wall of opposition to the use of trade to promote development is crumbling so swiftly and completely, that it calls to mind the gripping climax to the 1960 movie, Village of the Damned, when Zellaby (George Sanders) tries to conceal his thoughts from the alien children by constructing a brick wall in his mind. But we see the wall crumbling under their relentless pressure. This seems to be happening to the wall which blocks off trade and enterprise as the pathway from poverty.