Neo-liberalism

[Chris Burford]

At 14:34 18/05/99 -0500, you wrote:
>I am at times puzzled, confused, dismayed and outraged by the uses of the
term
>Neo-liberalism.
>In my youth Liberal Democrats believed in unions, safety nets and progressive
>taxation.  Conservative Republicans were against unions, safety nets and
wanted
>none or regressive taxation.
>To label today's corporate drive for world domination as Neo-liberalism is
like
>saying that black is white.
>Please enlighten me as to the origin, history, meaning and purpose of
>Neo-liberalism.
>Shouldn't it be called Neo-conservatism?    TIA.
>Bert

There are many different forms of English, and assumptions behind the
English we use.

On an international mailing list, I would ask US citizens not automatically
to privilege their own usage. 

My understanding is that the term neo-liberalism is used widely in Europe
and Latin America as a banner of resistance to the market fundamentalism
with which  the IMF and the international finance trader imposed their
interests on most of the world. 

"Liberal" is a term with many contradictory meanings, which can only be
analysed through a historical materialist approach.

Chris Burford

London