Questioning neoliberalism and it's "free market" advocacy

Kevin Carson has provided a couple of informative and thought-provoking posts over at his Mutualist Blog today. He first discusses how the neoliberal agenda actually leads to government expansion rather than reduction, including the nature of reorganizing and shifting the activities of the regulatory state to serve corporate interests. Despite spending cuts on social services and various instinces of "deregulation", the size and scope of government sure isn't shrinking. Carson concludes by stating that:

On the whole, the neoliberal version of the "free market" is like one of those old-fashioned chess-playing machines they used to have at a county fair. It's apparently "automatic" operation, on closer inspection, was achieved by a midget on the inside busily pulling the levers. In the case of the neoliberal "free market," it is the state that pulls the levers.

Read more by clicking here.

He then posted about the issue of engaging with the left on the issue of free markets. I've commented here before on how the left's perception of free markets is flawed, and I'm glad to see more discussion on this subject. After acknowledging a discussion of this topic over at the Liberty & Power blog, he chimes in with his own commentary on the matter. To check out this insightful post, click... here.