Remembering Bert Kelly
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The article reflects on the life and legacy of Bert Kelly, an Australian politician who advocated for free trade and removing industry protection. Kelly's motivations were rooted in morality rather than economics, and his ideas are still relevant today.
Bert Kelly, a former Australian Liberal MP, was a pioneering advocate for free trade and removing industry protection. He wrote a column in the Australian Financial Review and formed a group of like-minded politicians called the Modest Members. Kelly's support for free trade was driven by moral rather than economic considerations, seeing industry protection as unfairly benefiting some businesses at the expense of others. His thinking was influenced by his Methodist faith. Kelly's legacy is still relevant today, as the article critiques the development of economics as a discipline, arguing that it has become overly reliant on mathematical modeling and has forgotten its roots in moral philosophy. The Washington Consensus, a set of policies promoted in the 1990s, is cited as an example of economists' overconfidence in their ability to dictate policy. The article suggests that Kelly's emphasis on morality over economics is a valuable perspective that is still needed today.
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