Mike Moore on globalisation

The Herald reports on Mike Moore’s new book:

Mr Moore said more wealth had been created in the past 60 years than in all of history. Hundreds of millions of people had been lifted out of extreme poverty through globalisation.

Yet so many have fought against it. An unholy alliance of the hard left and far right.

Mr Moore said globalisation was “not a policy, it’s a process” and while it could be slowed it could not be stopped. Fascist and Marxist states that arose after the Great Depression had been vicious and protectionist.

And one great legacy of Helen Clark (and Moore and Goff) is firmly placing NZ Labour into the mainstream on globalisation and pre free-trade.

Protectionism was the “crack cocaine” of economics. “It does stimulate you for a while but it is addictive and it will eventually kill you.”

Nice analogy.

The cover has endorsements by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former Czech President Vaclav Havel. It was launched jointly by Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Labour leader Phil Goff.

Again good to see bipartisan support for globalisation and free trade.

I worry a bit about where Labour may go, after Goff. Either Shane Jones or David Cunliffe will I am sure be pro free trade. But Andrew Little may not be, as unions are often heavily protectionist.