Rudd decries 'false god' of free markets

[Matilda]

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

"The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has decried the "false god" of unrestrained financial markets at a forum at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Mr Rudd, who was joined at the forum by his British counterpart Gordon Brown, says morals and balance should be restored to the global economy.

snip

'Unfettered free markets became worshipped as a god,' Mr Rudd said. 'And we know that that god was false.'

The pair reflected on values, the public good, and trust in a system that Mr Brown says crossed moral boundaries."




Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/01/2531585.htm

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Given that President Obama said only a week ago that with Prime Minister Rudd he had "a meeting of minds", can we hope
that the views of Mr Rudd and Mr Brown will be endorsed by the US President?

It's so nice to have a leader I can feel proud of.

[FiveGoodMen]

1. And so do I!

:applause:

[amandabeech]

2. Can we have him when you're done? n/t

[AlbertCat]

3. Indeed

How does one have a "free" market for things one cannot refuse....like energy, food, medicine....

Funny....the very sectors where free marketeering has run amok!

[Odin2005]

4. He's right. The "free market" IS a god to them.

Time to drive the money-changers out of the temple of our civilization!

[willing dwarf]

5. Indeed. That which you love with all your heart and all your soul and all your might

That is your God. The free market has been the idol of so many professed people of faith in recent years. It's great he's speaking out.

[denem]

6. The God We Trust - hey China this is dollars we are talking about here.

[Vidar]

7. Rudd is right!

[depakid]

8. And extraordinarily popular

KEVIN RUDD is rivalling Bob Hawke as Australia's most popular prime minister while support for Malcolm Turnbull has slumped dramatically.

The latest Herald/Nielsen poll shows Mr Rudd's approval rating has risen to 74 per cent as Labor forges a crushing lead over the Coalition. It reveals the electorate has stuck overwhelmingly with Mr Rudd and Labor since the global financial crisis began to bite into jobs and growth.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-rudd-supremacy-20090329-9flo.html

Which reflects the fact that- at the moment, he's the most competent leader in the western world.

He's expanded on these views in an essay written back in January. Damn good reading for anyone trying to wrap their minds around the sorry state of affairs that's been playing out:

http://www.alp.org.au/download/now/rudd_feb09_monthly.pdf

[Vidar]

10. Glad to hear it, especially after Howard.

[Matilda]

13. The latest figures are very heartening.

I'll bet Malcolm was hoping that people would blame Labor for the current mess, but thank goodness, they're smarter
than that.

Rudd's not perfect, he'll make some mistakes, (the climate change policy was disappointing), but in spite of his
nerdiness, there's still a perception that he's a genuine bloke. And smart - very, very smart.

[CBHagman]

9. It's not hard to tell who loves money more than fellow humans.

Just look at how the health care system has been structured in the United States. Many of the same people who prance around declaring their pro-life credentials have a hissy fit at the notion that insurance and health care should be available to all -- e.g., the supposedly oh-so-Christian Zach Wamp (R-TN), who recently declared on MSNBC that health care is a privilege, not a right, thus disconcerting even the interviewer.

[Delphinus]

12. Amen.

What we are up against - humans versus money - is very hard to take.

[redqueen]

11. Wow!

:o

That is fantastic... thank you, Australians, for electing him!