Salon is carrying a piece (reprinted from the Guardian) about philosopher, novelist, and Canada’s Vice Regal Consort, John Ralston Saul, largely focussed on his new book, “The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World.”
The interview provides some interesting insights into the formation of the G7 (now G8) and why its focus has so long been on seeing the world through economic eyes, laying the blame at the feet of former French President Giscard d’Estang (notable of late as the writer of the proposed EU constitution).
Naturally for such a piece, there is a faulty conflation of the title ‘anti-globalisation’ with those who are opposed to the current form which globalisation is taking. Many of us are definitely in favour of globalised society, but deeply uncomfortable about the premises on which globalisation is currently based. But that misgiving doesn’t prevent the article being well worth a look, and it rather leaves me wanting to add yet another book to the ‘find time for’ list…
I’ll leave with a quote from Saul:
“A lot of those guys I have spoken to in NGOs will say, ‘What’s the point of being a backbench M.P., a minister or even a prime minister? The power isn’t there anymore.’ So you have this bizarre situation where there are more people in public life than ever before, but only a small proportion of them are democratically elected.”
I read Voltaire’s Bastards by JRS a few years ago. I remember being a little overwhelmed by his shrillness at times but generally enjoyed it and found it very thought-provoking.