Economic rationalism at its heart is a refusal to spend money on the unnecessary... But what is unnecessary - and who decides. With eloquence, passion, wit and humour, Bob Ellis explodes the myths of economic rationalism. In this incendiary, life-affirming book, he reveals it to be, at best, little more than an empty fantasy which, as a guiding principle, has more flaws than a factory second. And, at worst, a self-serving and destructive strategy of greed. Along the way, he demonstrates: why the economy of unemployment simply doesn't work; why it is better to spend than save; why a level playing field won't help; and why economic rationalists never practise what they preach. With all this and much more, First Abolish the Customer is a sweeping, swashbuckling account of why economic rationalism is not the answer for Australia.
