The author of Curing Affluenza looks at how neoliberalism ate itself and what comes next. For thirty years, we were told that privatisation and economic reform would be good for everyone. But now the results are in – we have seen public services undermined and corporations gaming the system. Damage has been done to regional Australia, blue-collar workers and the collective ethos – a language of shared sacrifice has been degraded by lies.

As a result, we are seeing a political backlash against “reform.” For the Coalition in particular, this is a threat to unity. In this passionate essay, Richard Denniss argues for a more pragmatic, consultative politics. He asks whether the major parties can find a new, and persuasive, way to talk about the national interest.