Neoliberalism is essentially the view that the worth of everything and everyone can be measured in monetary terms. It is the current name for an old idea – that the rich should be left alone to ‘create wealth’ that will somehow ‘trickle-down’ to the rest of society. Putting this crudely, neoliberalism is the idea that the best way to help the starving is for the already overfed to be given more to eat in the hope that more scraps will fall from their table.
Identity politics is the name given to the mad idea that the most important thing about any person is not their character, their talents nor their contribution to society but the colour of their skin, with whom they wish to sleep or the name of their imaginary friend. It is a backward-looking and racist ideology that demands everyone ‘stay in their lane’ and is favoured by people doing very well out of the current economic system. The loathsome Afua Hirsch of the Guardian and Sky News is a good example – a person born into immense wealth and privilege but who can barely conceal her disdain for the lower orders who refuse to do what their ‘betters’ tell them.
Readers familiar with this blog will know that I am opposed to neoliberalism and identity politics to the point of monomania. I have repeatedly criticised the West’s descent into both plutocracy – rule by the rich – and plutonomy – economic policy based solely on the interests of the rich. Karl Marx’s words in the first chapter of the Communist Manifesto come to mind…
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
There is a class war going on in the West today but only the rich are fighting it!
Identity politics is a disguise used by neoliberals of a certain kind who wish to cloak their naked self-interest in a veil of altruism. It is designed solely to divide ordinary people into warring tribes to stop them uniting against their real oppressors; like Seneca’s cynical remark about religion, identity politics is very “useful” to our lords and masters.
I have used this quote by nineteenth century Georgia Congressmen and vice-presidential candidate Tom Watson on more than one occasion but it remains as relevant in 2019 as when I first came across it as an undergraduate thirty years ago…
“Now the People’s Party says to these two men, ‘You are kept apart that you may be separately fleeced of your earnings. You are made to hate each other because upon that hatred is rested the keystone of the arch of financial despotism which enslaves you both. You are deceived and blinded that you may not see how this race antagonism perpetuates a monetary system which beggars both.'”
Even an issue as important as climate change has been hijacked by the most prosperous in society. The double-barreled buffoons of Extinction Revolution brought chaos to London this Easter weekend, demanding that the ghastly plebs limit their consumption and air travel. In a move beyond parody, ham actress Emma Thompson flew halfway around the world (first class, naturally) to disrupt the holiday plans of ordinary working people. As lacking in self awareness as she is in acting ability, Thompson said she “planted a lot of trees” when challenged by reporters – a sordid echo of Marie Antoinette’s (alleged remark) that the masses should “eat cake” when they are hungry.
The shocking fire that destroyed the roof of Notre Dame in Paris saw €1 billion quickly raised from the ranks of French (and other) billionaires. No further proof is needed to show that these people have too much money and are too lightly taxed. The ghost of 1789 is rising with hapless Tintin-lookalike Emmanuel Macron in the role of Louis XVI.
Neoliberalism and identity politics of the twin pillars of the system currently oppressing ordinary working people in the West. Both must end before real progress and real change can occur.
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