In a final masterstroke of bad timing, anti-capitalism has become hip a decade after the British Communist party went into its death throes. The Captive State, an exhaustive attack on corporate influence in British politics, much of the argument in The Silent Takeover will be familiar. For those who have read David Garten s When Corporations Rule the World or a stream of Demos pamphlets, there will be little new in the argument that governments have been diminished by the power of footloose corporations shifting investments around the world. Hertz makes her case with passion, incredulity and verve. Although she peppers it with stories and examples from all over the world, she still manages to drive the argument forward.
Corporations can do evil things, but so can governments, families and religious sects.
Giving poor people access to markets where they can sell their goods is not equality, but it is better than being shut out. Trade brings enormous benefits in terms of culture, ideas and peace. Hertz also runs the risk of over-estimating the power of corporations. All books predicated on the threat of an enemy run the risk of caricature. Corporations are more powerful than they used to be, yet my experience of working with large companies is that many are also confused, and fearful of protestors as well as competitors.