Labour Market Wars is timely and valuable work that explains why free labour markets are good for the labour force. The author has the rare gift of not only explaining the economics of markets in plain English, he also puts the issue of wage rate determination in a historical perspective and with admirable clarity.

Using economic logic and history he explains in detail why it is impossible for unions to raise real wages for everyone. In doing so he exposes and then dismantles union myths and fallacies. This process reveals the awful social consequences of unions pushing wages above their market clearing rates.

He is unsparing in his criticism of those who have fouled up the case for free labour markets, ruthlessly exposing fallacies that have been used to support reform, and condemning without malice, though not without justifiable irritation, the incompetence of those who have taken it upon themselves to promote labour market reform.

Unfortunately, advocates of reform have tended to be thoroughly divorced from the economic realities that the mass of people have to face in their daily lives. This disconnect, which they have made no effort to remedy, has seriously undermined the case for reform. It is to be deeply regretted that these people failed to take note of Ludwig von Mises who nearly sixty years ago wisely said:

New ideas and innovations are always an achievement of uncommon men. But ... men cannot succeed in adjusting social conditions to their plans if they do not convince public opinion.

Well, our advocates have failed badly to “convince public opinion”. Part of the problem has been their strange refusal to produce a comprehensive body of work that could be used to defend reform. No wonder I can say without the slightest exaggeration that I have yet to come across any pro-reform articles that match in detail and relentless economic reasoning the contents of this book.

Fortunately for the debate Labour Market Wars fills the intellectual void that our reform advocates created. I can therefore state without hesitation that any person who favours reform could not do better than study this book.