Globalisation's myths revealed
BY RUTH RATCLIFFE
CANBERRA — The real "globalisation" battle was not to defend the rights of the nation-state against international institutions but to defend peoples' rights against neo-liberal governments and multinational corporations, sociology lecturer Alistair Grieg told 50 participants in a public forum here on July 20.
The forum, "From Seattle to Melbourne, fighting global capital" was organised by the Canberra S11 Alliance, as part of its preparation for September protests against the World Economic Forum.
Grieg, an academic at the Australian National University, told those present that many public perceptions of "globalisation" were myths. It was not that easy for productive capital to move around the globe in search of the lowest-paid workers, he argued, nor was the nation-state in decline.
Rather, states were willing accomplices in the international capitalist drive to wind back workers rights.