The importance of discourses and narratives in contemporary politics has been made evident by the recent rise of populism in Europe and the United States. Both far-right leaders such as Donald Trump and Nigel Farage, and progressive politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Pablo Iglesias have transformed their political systems through a carefully designed rhetoric that has allowed them to articulate disperse political grievances in a populist manner.
However, right-wing populists share most economic policy proposals with mainstream neoliberal parties, while progressive populist leaders are finding it difficult to break with the tradition of social democracy. The writer George Monbiot proposes a new path for the Left in his book Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis (Verso): a brand new political tale that overcomes the social democratic tradition while reinvigorating progressive forces.
George Monbiot proposes a new path for the Left in his book… a brand new political tale that overcomes the social democratic tradition while reinvigorating progressive forces.
All political tales share the same structure, according to Monbiot: “Disorder afflicts the land, caused by powerful and nefarious forces working against the interests of humanity. The hero — who might be one person or a group of people — revolts against this disorder, fights the nefarious forces, overcomes them despite great odds and restores order” (p. 3). This is the structure of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings… but also of the two major political tales of our times: social democracy and neoliberalism. For social democrats — Monbiot explains — the 1929 economic crisis provoked a great world disorder that was eventually solved by the social state. For its part, the neoliberal story points at collectivism as the great evil that led to Nazism and Stalinism. According to the successful neoliberal tale, the deregulation of the economy restored democratic order, protecting individuals’ freedom.
