Canada must face the Neoliberal Challenge
The ruinous ideology politicians don't want us to know about.
Once, upon a closer look, Chaos becomes clarity, Clarity becomes understanding, Understanding becomes epiphany, Epiphany is; Brickwork for the soul. - author
“The more unequal we are, the weaker democracy; the more atomized we are, the thinner democracy. The less we believe government matters to our lives, the less committed we are to the idea of democracy.”— Himelfarb, Alex. Breaking Free of Neoliberalism
Western politicians no longer uphold the ideals of peace, order, and good governance while failing to demonstrate both responsibility and being truly representative. Far beyond being a mere ideology, they cater to the neoliberalism that permeates our societies.
History shows that in the affairs of humankind, we endure hell and high water, only to plunge back in and repeat the cycle over and over again. Is this our permanent bondage? We seem doomed to alternate between fleeting moments of equilibrium and retreats into chaos and barbarism, as if we are incapable of living with our own successes. More often than not, the enemy lies within—ever-present, yet we choose to don blinders. For forty years, neoliberalism has been plundering the West, just one of too many ideologies left unchallenged.
My reading of history suggests that we too often embrace ideologies—some with great virtues and lasting benefits, while others are ruinous. In these times of endless consumption and the mantra of “shop till we drop,” we have succumbed to destructive ideologies without considering their social impact. These ideologies create an unmanageable matrix—undetected, too rarely understood, and left to fester—especially at a time in history when who gets to govern and the quality of governance is more important than ever. In too many instances the quality of governance and diplomacy suffers in the West. In fact, Governments are not sovereign but mere catering services to the vested interests controlling them.
Neoliberalism can be defined in many ways and it goes beyond just being another ideology but a civilizational frame work where subsidiary ideologies flourish there in. Predatory capitalism, militarism, Neo-imperialism, corporatism, endless wars and the free market economy are all part of the mix.
Neoliberalism is pushing government, democracy and human decency over the cliff in favor of the “free market” where everything is commodified. Where the obscene wealth of the 1% becomes the yardstick of success. It is the ultimate class war, neofeudalism and Neo-fascism all rolled into one. It is where competition is for losers and where monopolies become absolute. It is where wars are fought for fun and profit, extortion, acquisitions, pushing millions off their homelands. It is murderous property and asset management by megalomaniacs.
It is about inaugurations where the oligarchs are invited. These are the objects of the emperors affections, his financiers, the “donor “class. They are his constituency in defense and expansion of their empires and the betrayal of all others.
Where capitalism is left unchecked, it becomes lawless, predatory and socially destructive, just as we refuse to see in the here and now. Neoliberalism accommodates child of unfettered capitalism.
Adopting neoliberalism has been a rejection of socialism which goes to the very essence of who we are— social beings living in “societies”. Where we abandon essential social structures as embodied in democracy these collapse and we are left with the demagoguery and anarchy we now see in the West.
There is no reason socialism and capitalism cannot share the same bed. Unfortunately capitalism is the most infantile and insists on stealing all the covers ,and too often pissing the bed. Where there is no room for socialism endless war, greed and despotism prevail.
“It is difficult to imagine a more sweeping statement about abandoning such large portions of the commons. The new role of government was primarily to facilitate business. All previous efforts to develop industry would now be subsumed into a single policy: promoting trade and the free trade agreements that accompany it.”— (CCPA ), Himelfarb, Alex. Breaking Free of Neoliberalism:
The global crisis continues to deepen, and Canada’s survival depends on achieving the best possible leadership. Equally crucial is fostering a heightened social awareness of who we are, where we are headed, and understanding the forces that shape our existence.
History’s Parrot is read in 39 US states and 52 countries world wide
Beautifully expressed. I am from Toronto, ON. Great to stumble onto your substack today. Look forward to reading you posts. Tom
Neo-liberalism has come to frame our entire conversations, as was the intent since the funding of the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947 and the deliberate dissemination of their doctrine through their "retail" outlets such as Vancouver Sun and Globe and Mail, all with embedded influencers from the Fraser Institute. The other similar brand, neo-conservatives are disciples of Leo Strauss. All aspects of financialization of Nature derive from neo-liberalism including the carbon tax. The idea is that The Market can make better decisions than govt regulation. BTW, there is more than the dichotomy between capitalism and socialism, such as Steiner's Three Fold Social Order.