New IMF research: No evidence that labour market deregulation increases growth. Filed under: Austerity Tagged: Labor Market reform, neoliberalism
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Politics and its Discontents: The Quiet Eloquence Of Harry Smith
His is a quiet eloquence that speaks far louder than all the braying our political ‘leaders’ engage in with abandon. Harry Smith, about whom I previously posted, is a man who has seen much during his long life. He has seen the worst that happens when society treats the majority
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: About that "Of the People, By the People, For the People" Business? Forget About It.
Proof positive that America is a corporatist state saddled with a “bought and paid for” Congress. The big US banks have given the Democrats an ultimatum – silence progressives like Elizabeth Warren or we’ll cut off our funding. Salon.com calls it “Wall Street’s political shakedown.“ If ever you doubted that our
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Three Eras of Canada’s Democracy or How We Got to Where We Are Today.
I first voted in the 60s and I’ve watched Canadian democracy evolve, not always in a good way, ever since. I’ve witnessed three political eras in my lifetime. There was an era of rights and freedoms, the years of Diefenbaker, Pearson and Trudeau. Some might not realize it but Diefenbaker
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Contesting Capitalism in the Eurozone
In light of the new Syriza government’s difficult struggle against the German dominated institutions of the Eurozone, I’ve revisited a little known book published ten years ago by political scientist Richard Dunphy called Contesting Capitalism? Left Parties and European Integration (Manchester University Press, 2004). In the book, Dunphy charts out the
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: European Banks vs. Greek Labour
Filed under: Austerity Tagged: Austerity, Eurozone Crisis, Greece, neoliberalism
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: When Getting It Wrong No Longer Matters
In the age of neoliberalism ideology matters, not results. Neoliberalism ensures there’ll always be another bus to drive into the next ditch. Call it what you like, be it “market fundamentalism” or “free market capitalism,” neoliberalism works at cross purposes to democracy. You know that business about government “of the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Neoliberalism Has in Store For You
click to enlarge From Le Monde, a timely explanation of how disastrous neoliberalism continues to thrive despite an endless string of economic disasters and what it holds in store for you even as you continue to vote for those who practice it. Hint. Neoliberalism is class warfare and it’s being
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Could Greece Become the Salvation of Western Democracy?
Greece is revered as the nation that gave mankind democracy. Could it now become the nation that restored democracy to mankind? Around the world, democracy has taken a pounding from the fist of neoliberalism. Market fundamentalism and democracy are simply incompatible over time. Neoliberalism promotes illiberal democracy, ultimately leading to
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: the left in Greece and Poland
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/podcast-150123-poland-greece1.mp3 I’ve been visiting family in Poland for the past few weeks so, fittingly, this week’s podcast deals with the situation of the left at two opposite ends of the European periphery: Greece and Poland. My first guest is Yanis Varoufakis, professor of economics at the University of Athens and candidate for SYRIZA
Continue readingAlberta Diary: What are Premier Jim Prentice and his three ‘agents of change’ planning for Alberta’s public service?
Alberta civil servants: do you get the feeling someone may have their eye on you? Below: Agents of change Richard Dicerni, Ian Brodie, Oryssia Lennie and Steve West. Premier Jim Prentice says he intends to “reform” Alberta’s public service, fix its low morale, reverse its “shocking” turnover and deal with
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Tory income-splitting tax policy: It’s about creating and preserving gender inequality and making rich guys richer
Whew! This income splitting is a killer. Actual perfect families as seen by the Harper Government may not appear exactly like Canadian reality. Below: Queen’s University tax law professor Kathleen Lahey. A fundamental purpose the Harper Government’s ideologically driven income-splitting tax scheme is to undermine women’s equality, Queen’s University tax
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Doug Henwood on US economics and politics
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/podcast-141114-doug-henwood.mp3 This week, it’s my great pleasure to present a feature interview with Doug Henwood — economic analyst, author of books including Wall Street and host of the wonderful Behind the News radio show and podcast that inspired this show. Doug always introduces his show by saying his guests will be “taking a look at worlds of
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Has Conservatism Become a Death Cult?
Some day our grandchildren will ask “why?” They’ll want to know why their grandparents’ generation failed to act against climate change while there was still time to prevent their own generation from getting the worst of it. That’s how they’re going to judge us; not by how bad, how dangerous,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Capitalism Off the Rails
Those at the very top of today’s neoliberal, free-market capitalist, global economy see the writing on the wall – capitalism has just about run its course. It’s hard to get your head around the idea, isn’t it? It sure is for me. Imagine, the economic model around which our society
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Focus on China
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/podcast-141102-china.mp3 The focus of today’s podcast is China: its development over the past several years, the situation of workers and unions as well as future directions. To get some perspective second largest economy in the world and one still expanding at breakneck, albeit slower, pace, I spoke with two guests:
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Will The Juncker Commission Continue To Entrench Neoliberal Policies?
Will The Juncker Commission Continue To Entrench Neoliberal Policies?. A few days ago, the designated European Commission finally showed its true colours: It wants to make sure that its economic policy recommendations become enforceable. Deregulation of rent setting systems, adjusting the retirement age to account for life expectancy and increased
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Listen Up. Does This Sound Familiar?
It seems to be an unavoidable part of neoliberalism – the sense of being ruled, not governed by consent. It’s the degradation of democracy, the detachment of the rulers from the ruled that is paralleled by the compression of the political spectrum so that one party becomes largely indistinguishable from
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Neoliberalism Has Made Us What We Are Today – And That Isn’t Pretty
Neoliberalism is a social, political and economic model best suited to those with psychopathic personality traits. That, in any case, is the conclusion of Paul Verhaeghe, who dissects neoliberalism and what it has done to us in The Guardian.“Thirty years of neoliberalism, free-market forces and privatisation have taken their toll,
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Referendum On Scottish Independence: Why it matters to us all – no matter who we are or where we live
An excellent overview of the Scottish referendum on independence, which is happening today, was just pointed out to me by a friend – and, we should note that the referendum has great significance all around the world, and not only for the Scots. The article is well worth two minutes of
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