Publisher keeps Moore's big title despite protests from modest author

Former Prime Minister Mike Moore said he had an argument with the publisher of his new book about whether to refer to himself as a former Prime Minister.

Clearly Mr Moore lost because on the cover of Saving Globalization the author is referred to as former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

"I was the shortest-serving Prime Minister in 100 years [60 days in 1990]. It is very difficult to explain this to people overseas," he joked at the book launch at Parliament yesterday.

When they asked what that was about "I say I was young, you do stupid things, it's not something I'm proud of. I've got over it".

Mr Moore said more wealth had been created in the past 60 years than in all of history. Hundreds of millions of people had been lifted out of extreme poverty through globalisation.

"Nothing like that has happened in the history of our species and they are providing the purchasing power that is getting us through this recession.

Not for the first time in history, "the poor are rescuing the rich".

Mr Moore said globalisation was "not a policy, it's a process" and while it could be slowed it could not be stopped. Fascist and Marxist states that arose after the Great Depression had been vicious and protectionist.

Protectionism was the "crack cocaine" of economics. "It does stimulate you for a while but it is addictive and it will eventually kill you."

The cover has endorsements by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former Czech President Vaclav Havel. It was launched jointly by Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Labour leader Phil Goff.