
Author and writer Paul Mason made a clear statement at Meaning Conference in Brighton this week; neo-liberalism is broken. The collapse of neo-liberalism is the talk of the thinking elite these days. Mason, alongside other experts and authors like Otto Scharmer are codifying the thing most of us feel in our guts. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark – well actually, most of the Western world. That ‘thing’ is the slow grind to a halt of neoliberalism and capitalism according to Mason et al.
Why is neo-liberalism broken, and why should you care? What has gone wrong with the agenda of the 20th century resurgence of 19th century ideas associated with laissez-faire economic liberalism? Why have policies such as privatization, fiscal austerity, deregulation, free trade, and reductions in government spending in order to enhance the role of the private sector in the economy, resulted in a wave of discontent and populist support for demagogues like Trump and the rise of right wing leaders like Marine Le Pen? Read More