Myths, politicians and money

23 May 2014

Myths, politicians and money

Many of us are increasingly puzzled and angered by the problems that government seems unable to resolve.

Former UK Labour MP and former vice-chancellor of Waikato University, Dr Bryan Gould, will be giving a free public lecture at the university on what he thinks has gone wrong for Western democracies over the last three decades.

“The distortion of economic policy by politicians and the shelving of democracy to those who control the economy had led to a distinct loss in confidence in the democratic process,” says Dr Gould.

His lecture, Myths, Politicians and Money: The Truth Behind the Free Market draws insights from his latest book of the same name and casts new light on these issues.

Using examples of his involvement with many of the pressing political and economic issues that have troubled governments in the West over the last four decades, Dr Gould shows that these problems have a common cause: the surrender of our democracy to those who control and dominate the global economy.

Myths, Politicians and Money exposes why politicians around the world distort economic policy against the interest of ordinary people, how neo-liberalism has been allowed to rise to prominence and how the power of major corporates has side-lined democracy.

“This is the insider story of the rise of the free market ideology, its entrenchment within politics and the terrible impact that it has had on society,” says Gould.

The School of Social Sciences will be hosting the lecture and Chair Dr Patrick Barrett is anticipating a warm welcome from his home crowd.

“Dr Gould is a brilliant communicator and is able to unpick the strands that have led to this situation, particularly drawing on his inside experience in British politics.

In this lecture, he will address the trends which have seen wealth increasingly concentrated at the top – that is the emergence of the 1%.”

Expert in the political economy and the labour market Dr David Neilson, and ethnicity and diversity policy expert Dr Rachel Simon-Kumar will be discussants for the talk.

Dr Gould will give this free public lecture on Thursday 29 May at 6-7pm (with refreshments from 5.30pm) at the University of Waikato, room S.1.04.

ENDS

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