“This vile bit of history is not, of course, our point.”
LOL, but we sure wanted you to know about it!
The reason I put it in, is explained in the language that immediately follows. That Keynes was a totally amoral sociopath who didn't just have sick tendencies in his personal life; he made a point of promoting them in others. His economics reflect the same totally warped tendencies. Taking his economic advice is somewhat in the same category of a police department hiring a serial killer as Chief Of Police. (The man was simply not on our side, in his dedicated pursuits.)