Mar 12, 2008

Kelsey Too Radical For The Philippines

There is an interesting news item on Newzeal about Auckland University Law Professor Jane Kelsey being on a Philippine Government blacklist.

In 1999/2000 Kelsey used to brief the Labour causcus on the evils of New Zealand trade policy. She had so much influence of people like MFAT's Crawford Falconer (the trade policy guru at the time) that he recommended a policy which ensures that New Zealand is unable to offer any services liberalisation in its WTO negotiations - thus making it hard for New Zealand to demand liberalisation of others.

Fortunately thanks to her links to NZ radicals (like those awaiting trial) she has fallen from grace here and is clearly so radical that at least one Government in the region doesn't want her near. Unfortunately she still advised civil society in the Pacific.

Now at The Hive we welcome freedom of speech and full academic freedoms. However, we wonder how radical one is allowed to become, before you start tarnishing the name of the university that employs you?