George Monbiot (George Monbiot) is a British journalist, author, environmental and political activist. He writes a regular column for The Guardian. Peter Hutchison is a critically acclaimed filmmaker, New York Times bestselling author, educator and activist.
In this book the authors argue that we live under an ideology that dominates every aspect of our lives: our education and our jobs; our healthcare and our leisure; our relationships and our mental wellbeing; the planet we inhabit – the very air we breathe. So pervasive has it become that, for most people, it has no name. It seems unavoidable, like a natural law.
But trace it back to its roots, and we discover that it is neither inevitable nor immutable. It was conceived, propagated, and then concealed by the powerful, wealthy, few. Its name is neo-liberalism. It exalts capitalism, self-interest and greed. In this book Monbiot and Hutchison seek to expose its pervasive and predatory nature in detail.
The authors argue as follows. Neo-liberalism has exacerbated economic inequality. Its divisive effects have led to worsening mental health, and diseases of despair such as depression and drug addiction. Its insistence on the unregulated flow of capital has led to the erosion of tax bases across the world. Environmental destruction is a direct consequence of its hunger for profits. Its mechanisms lead to the reduction of public funding for health, education, and infrastructure in societies around the world. It has given rise to populist demagogues, such as Viktor Orbán, Narendra Modi, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, and Jair Bolsonaro. A serious indictment indeed.
Deregulation and privatization have generated a transnational class of the super-wealthy who float above all political efforts at creating better societies. They conceal and operate their wealth from offshore tax jurisdictions. They fly around the globe in private jets, own multiple properties, and relax on super yachts. Neo-liberalism is in full flight.
The authors make suggestions about how this disastrous ideology can be resisted through participatory democracy, although the struggle will be long and difficult.
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First published 16 May 2024
ISBN: 9780241635902
224 pages in Penguin Books
