The Enduring Legacy of Neo-Liberalism – Sir Edmund Thomas

Written By: - Date published: 4:25 pm, February 10th, 2015 - 6 comments
Categories: Economy, equality, Financial markets, political alternatives - Tags:

Sir Edmund Thomas will discuss this topic in Wellington at Connolly Hall, Guildford Terrace,  tomorrow Wednesday 11th at 5:30pm. All welcome – see synopsis – if you would like to come please register here.

Sir Edmund Thomas argues that the gross inequality in income and wealth which besets New Zealand is the outcome of the neo-liberal economic measures of the mid-1980s and early 1990s and the culture of liberal individualism and unfettered free market ideology which it spawned. A breakdown in social cohesion and a sense of community is the result. The first step towards achieving a more equal and just society, he contends, is to identify the enduring features of neo-liberalism which need to be arrested and reversed. But reforms to counter these features are confronted by a plethora of mantras and myths purveyed by the rich and powerful. The stimulus for change is deadened and the culture of the post-neoliberal free market ideology persists. Sir Edmund examines the ways in which a credible threat to the economic order could be mounted, such as to bring about the adjustment to capitalism necessary to achieve a more equal and just society.

After graduating from Victoria University Law School in 1957, the Rt Hon Sir Edmund Thomas became a partner in Russell McVeagh in 1958 and a Queens Counsel in 1981. He was appointed to the High Court in 1990, to the Court of Appeal in 1995, and an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court after that Court had been established in 2004. Sir Edmund was a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand from 2003 to 2008.  He is a prolific author, having over 85 publications to his name, including the leading work on the judicial process: The Judicial Process: Realism, Pragmatism, Practical Reasoning and Principles (Cambridge University Press, 1985). He was awarded a Doctorate of Laws (LLD) in 2009 for his contribution to jurisprudence. He is presently a Distinguished Fellow at the Law School at the University of Auckland.

6 comments on “The Enduring Legacy of Neo-Liberalism – Sir Edmund Thomas ”

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  1. music4menz 1
    10 February 2015 at 5:30 pm

    Perhaps Sir Edmund might begin by explaining why he thought it was appropriate for him to accept a knighthood, a symbol of the archaic and outdated colonial system that lies beneath so much a what the neo-liberal status quo stands for- it scarcely ties in with his belief and advocacy for the just and equal society.

  2. vto 2
    10 February 2015 at 8:59 pm

    Its no good.

    Key can just go and get another opinion from another …. “graduate from Victoria University Law School in 1957, the Rt Hon Sir Edmund Thomas became a partner in Russell McVeagh in 1958 and a Queens Counsel in 1981. He was appointed to the High Court in 1990, to the Court of Appeal in 1995, and an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court after that Court had been established in 2004. Sir Edmund was a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand from 2003 to 2008. He is a prolific author, having over 85 publications to his name, including the leading work on the judicial process: The Judicial Process: Realism, Pragmatism, Practical Reasoning and Principles (Cambridge University Press, 1985). He was awarded a Doctorate of Laws (LLD) in 2009 for his contribution to jurisprudence. He is presently a Distinguished Fellow at the Law School at the University of Auckland.”
    ..

    Key is such a shallow dick

    • In Vino 2.1
      10 February 2015 at 10:59 pm

      Curses! I forgot for a moment about his magical ability to dismiss what experts say by saying he could invoke other possible experts.. but never doing so because the distraction has worked for the meantime.

  3. aerobubble 3
    11 February 2015 at 12:02 pm

    Promising some else will do something, waiting always for vaporware to appear to solve your problems, classic scammer axioms. The market will work it out, reminds me of my dad who would saying it’ll turnup whenomething is lost, but it aint like that.
    Its like the rubbish will put itself out and has never done so in the past, and they want money support for helping you get rid of the rubbish.

    Neoliberalism is a scam designed to appropriate the vaste wealth of middle east oil and hand it to speculators who readily are recognized as scam artists. Take key-sky-conf its a scam, it takes gambling habits we dont didnot want and increased them, it built more rooms, more partons to the casion, and even a subway station to funnel future gamblers….