I’ve just purchased a copy of The Purple Economy: Supernatural Charities, Tax and the State by Max Wallace of the Australian National Secular Association.
For the life of my I can’t find a webpage for the book, the publisher or even an entry on Amazon. It’s a bit sad. I’ll post a review when I finish reading it, but in the mean time here’s a couple of quotes from the blurb to give you an idea:
The failure of governments to formalize a separation of church and state has contributed to the significant wealth of supernatural charities largely as a function of the exemptions. These are effectively concealed tithes on all tax payers.
Central to supernatural proselytizing is their lobbying success in achieving more money for private, religious schools. Public education has been betrayed by compliant politicians from both sides as they run what are effectively soft theocracies
I might have to try and get in touch with the author and suggest he at least put a blog up.
Update: There is this page on the Secular Party’s website. (Another bloody micro party, seriously, staying an a-political lobby is much more effective).
on Jul 2nd, 2008 at 7:36 pm
[...] of an organisation that extends beyond Max Wallace. The ANSA did publish a book by Max Wallace, The Purple Economy, which I have read and highly [...]