People talk about neoliberalism like it’s still 1985 and neoliberalism is this sort of an unchangeable monolith. But it’s not. It changes, it moves. It is honest in the sense that it demands from us the same changeability that it manifests.
The first stage of neoliberalism was the reduction of the state institutions that guaranteed (or attempted to do so) the welfare of the citizens.
The second stage was putting in place of those institutions mechanisms of state control that ensured ideological compliance.
By the end of the second stage, the state transformed itself from an entity that sought legitimacy through the consent of the subjects into an entity that silenced the subjects and expressed consent on their behalf.
The institutions of the state are now stronger than ever but their function is no longer to help out citizens in difficult times. It is, instead, to shut up the citizens when they want to speak out about the difficult times.
I will leave everybody to figure out for themselves if removing these currently existing institutions of the state helps or thwarts neoliberalism. I’ll remind you, though, that neoliberalism is not about destroying the state. It’s about making it do something completely different than before.
Clarissa's Blog 
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