"People have accused me of being in favor of globalization. This is equivalent to accusing me of being in favor of the sun rising in the morning"

Clare Short’s statement highlights the inevitability and irreversibility of globalization by comparing it to the certainty of the sun rising each day. By doing so, she emphasizes that globalization is not merely a policy preference but a fundamental and natural shift occurring across the world, independent of individual endorsement. When accused of supporting globalization, Short suggests that she is being faulted for supporting something that is not a matter of choice but of reality, much like supporting the laws of nature.

Her analogy captures the futility of resisting forces that have become inherent to the contemporary global landscape. Globalization, marked by the movement of ideas, products, capital, and people across borders, is pictured as an unstoppable process. Attempts to either support or oppose it are as meaningful as supporting or opposing the earth’s rotation. Short subtly dismisses critics who claim one can simply choose to “be for” or “against” globalization. Instead, she implies that the question should not be whether to embrace or reject globalization, but how societies can best respond, adapt, and influence its impacts.

There is also an underlying critique of simplistic or reactionary stances toward complex issues. By equating these accusations with an absurd position such as being pro-sunrise, Short is calling attention to misguided debates in political discourse. She urges a more pragmatic and realistic engagement with worldwide economic and social changes rather than clinging to nostalgia or denial.

Furthermore, by invoking a universally accepted natural event, Short frames globalization as a condition all must acknowledge and engage with, regardless of ideological leanings. Her words challenge readers to move past binary arguments, encouraging thoughtful consideration of how to ethically and effectively navigate a world that is interconnected as never before.