This column is best answered by the old parental argument "If all your friends were jumping off the bridge, would you too?"

I agree that there is little point to poking the bear by emphasizing our differences but many of the Trump policies are not worth following. Like when you're cornered by your crazy uncle at a family reunion it's best just to smile, nod and ignore what's being said. Yes, we might lose some high-income earners to the US, but we might also attract some through a more intelligent and humane immigration policy. (Heck, the crazy uncle even said he liked that.) Yes, we may have to negotiate carefully and make some concession on trade, but we can attract companies who want access to both Europe through CETA and the US through some new version of  NAFTA.