There Are Many Ways in Which We Could Live – and This Is One of the Worst

Interview with George Monbiot, Co author of “The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism”

What do you see as the single most damaging consequence of neoliberal ideology that people still fail to recognize?

It's the political disillusionment neoliberalism has caused. When people perceive that democracy cannot improve their lives, because our power has been handed instead to something called “the market” (in reality, very wealthy people), they come to see the political system as their enemy. Then they become susceptible to the sirens of the far right, who claim to be smashing the elite, but who, in reality, tend to be millionaires working for billionaires.

Which public belief or narrative, in your view, has been most successfully engineered by neoliberal thinking?

It is the idea that competition is and should be the defining aspect of our lives. In truth, we are the most sociable and cooperative of all mammals (with the possible exception of the naked mole rat). But we have been persuaded that human life is a war of all against all, in which some must win and others must lose. It does not have to be like that, and many human societies have organised themselves along different lines.

If neoliberalism is “invisible,” what is the mechanism that keeps it hidden in plain sight?

The promoters of neoliberalism have cleverly presented it not as a philosophy or an ideology at all, but simply as a description of how things are. They suggest that a society built on pure competition, in which everyone seeks only to maximise their own position, is normal and natural. It should be encouraged by any means possible, which include stripping away taxation, regulation, protests, trade unions, even democracy itself, as these interfere with the discovery of a “natural hierarchy” of winners and losers. In reality, there are many ways in which we could live, many in which we can organise ourselves, and this is one of the worst of them.

Did the COVID19 pandemic expose the weaknesses of neoliberal systems, or did it actually strengthen them by normalizing emergencydriven individualism?

In almost every country surveyed, there was a fascinating response to the pandemic: nearly everyone wanted life to be different when it was over. They did not want to revert to business as usual. Survey after survey showed that people wanted a kinder, greener, more cooperative society. But governments forced us back to the old ways. It was a very clear sign that this is a topdown ideology which does not reflect public demand.

Do current wars expose the fragility of neoliberal globalization, or do they strengthen it by deepening public acceptance of austerity and militarized spending?

Wars are a great distraction from our political and economic problems. In some cases, they seem to be launched for that very purpose. If governments can persuade us that our enemies are not the rich and powerful within our own societies, but either the weak or the poor (such as immigrants and asylum seekers, Black and Brown people, gay people, disabled people ...) or another state, they can make us forget what needs to happen to ensure we have better lives. Wars also help capital to secure or monopolise resources, an agenda which is further advanced by neoliberalism.

Has any modern country truly escaped the influence of neoliberal ideology, or has it become so globally embedded that opting out is no longer possible?

There are pockets of resistance, generally at the provincial or municipal level. But most national governments have been whipped into line by the demands of bodies such as the IMF. Or, in some cases, through coups and assassinations. It is fair to say that it has become globally hegemonic. This is why popular movements are so crucial: to force reluctant governments to change.

Can we still expect genuinely altruistic initiatives – like the early ambition to explore space – or has every major modern undertaking become inevitably shaped by the dominant neoliberal ideology?

I think there's a useful contrast to be made between the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting gases, which was agreed earlier in the neoliberal era, before the doctrine was as hegemonic as it is today, and the hopeless efforts to address climate breakdown, which are failing by design. Neoliberalism has enabled corporate and oligarchic power to dictate to governments, and it is highly reluctant to let go of fossil fuels.

Interview by Vladimir Tsankov