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Is the Pope Right?

Entry 600, on 2007-09-03 at 20:11:41 (Rating 3, News)

I never thought I would say this, but I think I might agree with the Pope - at least on one point. I recently read an article which suggested Pope Benedict XVI might declare that the globalisation process might need to be controlled by regulation. He thinks that the tactics big business use to maximise their profits at the expense of the greater community aren't fair (I don't think he actually used the word evil, but that seems appropriate).

Of course, we can't blame the companies involved too much because if their competitors are exploiting the benefits of globalisation (tax havens, cheap "slave" labour in China, etc) then they really have to do the same thing to remain competitive. But that's why regulation is needed. Its the only way the greed of big corporations can be controlled.

But isn't a free global market a good thing? It does lead to greater "efficiency", but efficiency can be measured in many different ways and shouldn't always be the ultimate aim. The most efficient system of all might be based on slavery, but should we allow that just to get greater efficiency? And if we don't like slavery should we accept child labour, or wages which are impossible to survive on, or dangerous working conditions, or goods produced in countries with poor civil rights and freedom records?

Some people will say that the western consumer is happy to ignore the working conditions of Chinese (for example) workers because it means they get cheaper products. That might be true in many cases, and its almost impossible to get many products which aren't produced this way now, so the choice is limited anyway.

Its ironic that the Pope might criticise business for using the sorts of tactics it does, because if even half the stories about the Vatican are true then the Catholic church has got nothing to be proud of. But I do believe globalisation needs to be controlled so I too will ignore that little inconsistency!

Comment 1 (926) by sbfl on 2007-10-15 at 04:03:34:

Hi OJB - can you please link to the bit about where the Pope "thinks that the tactics big business use to maximise their profits at the expense of the greater community aren't fair" - I would be interested to see the words he used.

By the way, have you been to China before?

Re the last paragraph - please enlighten us to these stories that contradict Papal criticism of business - and don't forget your belief in supporting evidence!!

Comment 2 (935) by OJB on 2007-10-15 at 20:56:53:

Sorry I can't find the original source now. You are right that I usually demand sources for any evidence cited, but I do think of a blog as a less formal discussion forum where those sorts of rules aren't as important.

I did find several references to the Pope criticising capitalism on the Internet. But I also found references to him criticising socialism and other references to him praising capitalism, so I'm now a bit confused about what he really thinks!

Comment 3 (945) by sbfl on 2007-10-17 at 06:57:05:

Well it would help. On other blogs you get crucified for making assertions (note not opinions) without evidence or at least links. However I appreciate that this is your blog.

Yes, well with your bias, I wouldn't expect you to make to the effort to find out. Perhaps the Pope is somewhat of a moderate who can see the pros and cons of views on both sides of the political spectrum - did you think of that? In NZ, these people are the ones who decide who will be in government!

Comment 4 (964) by OJB on 2007-10-17 at 15:32:30:

Yeah sure. The Pope could be a great guy. Sheesh, I just wrote a blog entry saying I agree with him. What more do you want? And if he is a moderate that's great, I tend to agree with moderates and reject extreme views from any perspective (including the extreme left).

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