Comments on: The Courageous State: Rethinking economics, society and the role of government http://www.redpepper.org.uk/the-courageous-state-rethinking-economics-society-and-the-role-of-government/ Red Pepper Wed, 18 Sep 2013 10:05:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Paul Lockwood http://www.redpepper.org.uk/the-courageous-state-rethinking-economics-society-and-the-role-of-government/#comment-60800 Paul Lockwood Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:42:42 +0000 http://www.redpepper.org.uk/?p=7464#comment-60800 Unfortunately, this article accepts the fallacy of ‘the pure market’ at face value. Like Will Hutton, the book (and reviewer) believe that the government is letting market forces dictate the direction of our economy. This is simply untrue. All modern governments interfere massively in the economy, but they do so on behalf of the class who control the state (i.e. the big corporations and banks).

The reason we don’t see this is because the neoliberals control the means of propaganda, and although their arguments in favour of ‘the market’ are paper thin, they have convinced many people that a fantasy system of market forces rule the economy (such an economy only exists in text books).

All of the recent bank bailouts contradict the concept of a free market. These bailouts have, internationally, cost several trillions of US dollars since 2008. Imagine what that money, invested in the real, productive economy could have done for humanity.

Arguments about whether governments should get involved in the economy, and how much, are just so much pissing in the wind. The real issue is about state power and who controls it. At the moment a tiny wealthy elite control it. We need a government that represents the interests of the majority to control it. Only massed struggle can bring this about, not academic arguments about economic theory.

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