Austerity’s speed followed from the absence of any political alternative

Evidence

How is it possible to impose all this? Well, only because of the general ideological atmosphere of capitalist realism. Whilst I do not agree with Paul Mason, capitalist realism has certainly changed its form compared to before 2008. Then it had a bullish quality that declared: “Either you get on board with us or you’re a sad loser who will die drinking meths in a gutter — if you’re lucky.” Since 2008, it has had a more desperate quality, which is what lies behind the ostensibly inclusive rhetoric of “We’re all in it together”. In other words, if we do not all pull together, we will all go down — rather different from the previous implication that anyone who does not come on board will just be crushed beneath the juggernaut of capital. … So the tone of capitalist realism has changed, but harsh measures have been imposed very quickly because of the absence of an alternative. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1674

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Austerity was historically contingent, not inevitable — Mark Blyth, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous…, 621; Austerity politics rest on the belief that democracy cannot produce sound economic policy — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 1581; Austerity measures intensified capitalist realism by presuming there was no alternative to capitalism. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 2205

Broader Connections

• Austerity was historically contingent, not inevitable #corroborates (0.78) — Mark Blyth, Austerity, 621
• Austerity politics rest on the belief that democracy cannot produce sound economic policy #expands (0.72) — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 1581