ABSTRACT
Neoliberalism must be recognized as an ideology. Unless we appreciate its efficacy in closing down rival ways of thinking about historical progress, its longevity, penetration and intractability will remain a puzzle. To open up this blocked review, we need to identify the ideological strategies (misrepresentations and distorted borrowings) that are used to silence oppositional projects. A targeted social democratic project must also be better equipped to restage an ideology critique. Its ‘Golden Age’ now long over, social democracy had introduced responsiveness to social needs (not just rights) as a requirement for modern democratic politics. The radical potentials of this political innovation must be better appreciated. The Introduction sets up the main themes and arguments to be carried through the following chapters.
