flabby, theoretically imprecise, keynesian critique of neoliberalism, that resembles a drawn out sunday morning comic strip on parlimentarian drama. it's funny hearing about robert muldoon drunkenly alienating everyone in parliament, but not particularly enlightening on an analytic level.

provides good info of how international trade has shifted in the uk and nz, due to neoliberalisation. shifts from state and corporate production for one's own country's needs, to production for an international market wildly chaotic and speculative. the last half is particularly good, detailing the failures of neoliberalism to reinvigorate economic growth, address unemployment, and reduce national debt.

never actually says how keynesianism could have overcome its economic downturn in the 70's. nostalgically pines over an the post-war era of economic growth. doesn't seem to understand that economic growth (the perpetual drive for cheaper resources and labourers, as well as new markets) is the crisis capitalism will never resolve. i.e. that growth itself is the issue, not neoliberalism alone.

sympathetic to workers, but highly revisionist. depicts social democrats as the ones who pushed through progressive reforms for workers. ignores the fact that these reforms would have never been pushed through without the collective pressure of workers organising outside of the state machinery (see social movements and protest and reading capital politically).

if you wanna learn about neoliberalism you'd be better off reading david harvey or foucault. this is still, however, a decent text for understanding the particularities of neoliberalism in nz, if you already have a background in critical theory.