Globalisation:Taxpayers' Alliance: Stockholm Network
The Taxpayers Alliance is also part of Stockholm Network, a think tank that promotes radical free market ideology, in which the Mont Pèlerin Society played a key role. This international network of neoliberal intellectuals was founded by Friedrich von Hayek in 1947 and has gradually expanded to over 1000 members from across the globe. [1]
The Stockholm Network was founded in September 1997 and was originally run by the Swedish think tank Timbro. It claims to bring together over 120 think tanks from across Europe whose member groups are mainly dogmatic free-marketeers who want to introduce a flat tax, put an end to social protection systems and privatise healthcare whilst at the same time attacking socially or environmentally progressive legislation. These think tanks for example are skeptical of the seriousness of climate change, and they oppose environmental regulations whilst promoting free-market pseudo-solutions to almost every problem. [2]
The Stockholm Network was set up by Helen Disney and Nicole Gray Conchar, formerly of right wing American think tank, the Cato Institute. Ms Conchar is also linked to the pro-corporate Stockholm Network member the International Policy Network which is known to be funded by Exxon and widely believed to be funded by Pfizer, Merck and Microsoft. [3]
It is also understood that umbrella organizations such as the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, the International Policy Network and/or the Stockholm Network can be used to produce yearly global products like the Economic Freedom of the World Index in order to channel the neoliberal draft constitution developed by the neoliberal European Constitutional Group.[4]
