Allen Lane, 2024
ISBN: 978-0241635902
Reviewed by Ian Mowll
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The authors provide a devastating critique of neoliberalism and how it has eroded much which is precious in our society such as equality, community and empowerment. The book defines neoliberalism as like – but more than – unfettered capitalism. And as George Monbiot is one of the authors, not surprisingly, much of the content in the book aligns with the green agenda with its emphasis on the collective rather than the individual; a good example of this is the need to reduce pollution as it can be produced by the individual but affects everyone.
The authors describe how the fairy tale of unfettered capitalism has failed us, and we need collective responses to the issues of our time. The book is well researched and constructed, starting off with the history of neoliberalism, looking at the issues it has produced and proposing practical solutions.
The authors argue that with large systems, small incremental changes are not effective. Big, complex systems tend to be quite stable until a tipping point is reached and then a whole new dynamic is created. This can be done – a good example is the USA during the Second World War where vast changes were speedily made to society to provide armaments to fight the war. And it is encouraging to read that studies suggest that when 25% of society are committed to change, change can happen – the rest often join in as they don’t want to be left behind.
Various solutions to replace neoliberalism are discussed. How we need to reclaim the idea of the commons where a community has collective responsibility for, say, an area of land. This approach is embedded in our past and it can be reclaimed for such things as community forests, broadband, allotments and much more.
We need a redistribution of wealth where there is private sufficiency (that is no individual can have too much wealth) and public luxury where commonly owned assets such as the transport system are well maintained and provide public benefit for all.
We need a fairer political system which is not funded by the rich and powerful but gives better representation for the general public. We need local empowerment as much as possible so that local communities can take pride in their public resources whilst acknowledging that some institutions such as health care need a certain amount of centralisation to function well.
Finally, it is heartening to see that the authors acknowledge that a potent, collective story is needed to galvanise the general population. My own view is that knowing that we all belong to the living Earth is both inspiring and helps us to face many of the challenges of our time.
This book is currently selling well, showing that it is touching a nerve amongst many people. I am hopeful that the ideas in this book will be planted in the right social soil and in time, blossom and flourish.