"The rich and powerful regularly advocate liberalization once they have achieved a dominant position and hence are willing to face competition on a level playing field— that is, one sharply tilted in their favour. The stand is sometimes called “kicking away the ladder” by economic historians: first we violate the rules to climb to the top, then we kick away the ladder so you cannot follow us, and we righteously proclaim: “Let’s play fair, on a level playing field."