"Two parties (however defined) that implement a free trade agreement tend to see a rise in standard of living." You're missing the part where party A has a sta

"Two parties (however defined) that implement a free trade agreement tend to see a rise in standard of living." You're missing the part where party A has a standard of living of 9 and party B has a standard of living of 4 and after the treaty they go to 8 and 6, respectively. Yes, a rise in standard of living - but A lost and it would be completely rational for them to reject the FTA. It's even more stark when you consider that the 9 that becomes an 8 is made up, internally, primarily of sevens-that-become-fives and a small portion of 100s that become 200s. So yes, people railing against FTA/globalization often have no theoretical underpinning, have no clarity in their argument, and generally "don't know what they're talking about" - but they're getting fucked and they know it and that trumps the well-worded argument you're looking for.