188/YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE!
Klaus did indeed make it to the other shore, even if somewhat
drenched in the muck of financial scandal. He was forced to resign in
December 19 9 7 in a context of growing popular discontent.
In another document drawn up especially by the World Bank for
the Global Summit on Social Development, organised by the UN in
Copenhagen in March 1995, the Bank says that for Third World
countries:
Minimum wages, unemployment insurance, redundancy
payments and job-security legislation are of no use to rural and
informal workers, who account for the majority of the poor in
developing countries. (World Bank, 1995b)This type of statement is in perfect harmony with those made by
another champion of neo-liberalism, Gilder, for whom: 'Social
security now erodes both work and the family, keeping the poor in
poverty' (Gilder, 1981). It is worth knowing that Gilder favours such
an approach for the entire planet, including the industrialised
countries! Such declarations recall something Malthus said: 'To be
sure, the Poor Laws can be seen as weakening the willingness and
ability of the common people for uplift. In this way, they weaken one
of the most powerful motives for work.'
In such a context, what possible message could neo-liberalism be
passing along to future generations? It is very straightforward. When
asked what he says to his children, IMF head Michel Camdessus
replied: 'Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!' (Le Soir, 14 February
1996).
Which all makes one wonder if neo-liberalism has run out of
steam. In 1997, extensive polls in Britain - cradle of the neo-liberal
offensive of the 1980s - revealed that a majority of people reject
Thatcherite values. This prompted the Financial Times to run the
banner headline: 'Thatcherism leaves fleeting legacy' (Le Monde, 28
November 199 7). In Belgium, in autumn 199 7, the daily Le Soir
published the results of a survey clearly indicating that the
Francophone Belgian population rejects an economic system
dominated by neo-liberalism. The hair-raising fiasco of neo-liberal
policies in Asia and Russia will in all likelihood accelerate this shift in
opinion among wide sectors of the global population.