Global Spin

A powerful and well-researched book that is part of the quest for an informed thinking in response to the 'corporate assault on environmentalism'. Highly acclaimed by leading green activists, this book takes the lid off the sophisticated techniques used to persuade the public to see corporations as active players in the field. It is clear that money buys influence, whetter through donations to political parties or lobby efforts. An example of the pressure applied can be found in the US attitude to the Kyoto protocol based on the old idea of economic growth as the panacea to our troubles. Beder's conclusion is, I think, correct but disturbing: that corporate power represents a decline in democracy, especially when so many critical decisions are made behind closed doors.