A critique of the use of the centre-periphery model in explanation of intranational regional development based upon Marxist and neo-Marxist economic theory is presented. Seemingly different approaches use the same basic explanatory structure. The history and structure of the model arc discussed, followed by a theoretical and epistemological critique of the explanatory content. Empirical evidence for key economic variables in the industrial sector in Portugal is presented, which casts further doubt upon the validity of the model. Portugal exhibits an apparent centre-periphery structure in patterns of regional industrial development, but closer analysis reveals that underlying patterns found in these key variables do not conform.