-- Cheryl Kernot

'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 more, First Abolish the Customer is a sweeping, swashbuckling account of why economic rationalism is not the answer for Australia.

First published 1998, available from Penguin Books, order through local bookshops.