Introduction

While neoliberal politics may contain the seeds of their own destruction, only serving minority interests, they keep going – on and on! They seem to be self-perpetuating, with their capacity to divide, misrepresent and create misunderstanding, reducing effective opposition. In his own book on the subject, Mark Fisher, the political theorist reminded us of an earlier phrase, ‘it's easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism’ (Fisher, 2009, p 2). Neoliberalism appears unstoppable. Internationally, whatever the outcome of elections, neoliberalism still seems set to win. Important advocates like Trump retain the confidence its populism has given them (www.yout ube.com/watch?v= ehvU QrRD yyU). How and why? – these surely should be the dominating questions of our times. And yet they largely go unasked. There may be concerns about politicians’ behaviour, political morality and the merits of a particular policy, but somehow these do not get laid at the door of dominant ideology. Instead, they are seen in abstraction. Perhaps this is another expression of neoliberal ideology's power to isolate and disconnect. There's little mainstream thinking outside its box. Whatever the case, neoliberalism has a remarkable capacity to misdirect our attention, so that for many, or at least enough of us, this is not a question we seem to be asking.