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The Establishment: And how they get away with it Kindle Edition
by Owen Jones (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (3,569)
THE PHENOMENAL BESTSELLER
'Fantastic, timely, eye-opening' Armando Iannucci, New Statesman, Books of the Year
'Captures a collective sense of anger and awakening' Matt Haig, Observer, Books of the Year
Behind our democracy lurks a powerful but unaccountable network of people who wield massive power and reap huge profits in the process. In exposing this shadowy and complex system that dominates our lives, Owen Jones sets out on a journey into the heart of our Establishment, from the lobbies of Westminster to the newsrooms, boardrooms and trading rooms of Fleet Street and the City. Exposing the revolving doors that link these worlds, and the vested interests that bind them together, Jones shows how, in claiming to work on our behalf, the people at the top are doing precisely the opposite. In fact, they represent the biggest threat to our democracy today - and it is time they were challenged.
'A book of revelations ... The Establishment have stitched it up - stitched you up - and they know it' Danny Dorling, Times Higher Education Supplement
'A dissection of the profoundly and sickeningly corrupt state that is present-day Britain. He is a fine writer, and this is a truly necessary book' Philip Pullman
'Owen Jones is a phenomenon of our times' David Kynaston, The Times Literary Supplement
'You will be enlightened and angry' Irvine Welsh
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Review
In many respects, Owen Jones is the best thing to happen to the non-compromised, non-New Labour left in the mainstream media in decades... On the post-1979 'establishment' Jones is very strong indeed (Owen Hatherley London Review of Books)
An important book... a systematic critique of the various political, corporate and economic institutions that seek to consolidate the interests of the few at the expense of the many... Jones has the establishment clutching at their little golden straws... It is not an easy road, Jones argues, but if we show strength and solidarity - perhaps adding a little common sense - we can reinstate true democracy and thus prioritize the needs of the many (Huffington Post)
Owen Jones is a phenomenon of our times... He asks some familiar questions, but with a compelling urgency... he is systematically interested in the underlying mentality, and not just the behaviour, of his subjects, giving his study a refreshing and crucial extra dimension (David Kynaston Times Literary Supplement)
A book of revelations... The last time the British Establishment was so intertwined, so arrogant and so powerful was a century ago, and the last democratic revolution that redistributed wealth took a lifetime to play out (Danny Dorling Times Higher Education Supplement)
I am delighted to see social class storm its way back into our contemporary history: Owen Jones's The Establishment offers a well-documented as well as searing critique of the groupthink that binds together our rulers (David Kynaston Guardian Books of the Year)
A passionate account of political and economic injustice (Observer)
This is the most important book on the real politics of the UK in my lifetime, and the only one you will ever need to read. You will be enlightened and angry (Irvine Welsh)
I'll never look at UK class politics in the same way after Owen Jones's bracing and principled The Establishment (Naomi Klein Guardian Books of the Year)
Owen Jones may have the face of a baby and the voice of George Formby but he is our generation's Orwell and we must cherish him (Russell Brand)
Thorough and admirably vivid... he is excellent on how the state has become a creature of capital, controlled by the corporate sector. As Jones shows, British capitalism is highly dependent on state largesse and rich corporations are the biggest scroungers of all (New Statesman)
Powerful . . . The book's great strength lies in the simple power of accumulation. Again and again, Jones connects the dots in parallel lines, so that the single examples that might in themselves be dismissed as circumstantial or overblown become more or less unanswerable. . . He is a writer of real rhetorical force (Independent)
Owen Jones displays a powerful combination of cool analysis and fiery anger in this dissection of the profoundly and sickeningly corrupt state that is present-day Britain. He is a fine writer, and this is a truly necessary book (Philip Pullman)
An eye-opening state-of-the-nation book. (Armando Iannucci New Statesman Books of the Year)
The breadth of Jones' research is impressive... the chapter on the recent history of ideas is fascinating... the sections on corporate tax-avoidance, the lobbying industry and the sell-off of the NHS ought to have genuine British taxpayers spitting with rage. Jones ultimately sees his Establishment not as the guardians of British values but as a threat to them (Richard Godwin Evening Standard)
About the Author
Owen Jones was born in Sheffield, grew up in Stockport and studied history at Oxford. His first book, the international bestseller Chavs, was long-listed for the Guardian First Book Award and chosen as one of the New York Times top 10 non-fiction books of 2011. In 2013 he won Young Writer of the Year at the Political Book Awards. His second book is the bestselling The Establishment: and How They Get Away With It, an exposé of Britain's powerful elites. He is a columnist for the Guardian and a frequent broadcaster.
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From Australia
Paul J. Hogan
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in Australia on 17 October 2020
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A good important Book
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From other countries
Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant analysis of the crackdown on social democracy ... compulsory reading.
Reviewed in Germany on 3 December 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Owen Jones has achieved a tour de force with his detailed and comprehensive analysis of the "coup d'état" carried out by the new establishment, an elite of business people, media moguls and politicians who have successfully overthrown what was formerly known as the democratic state of Great Britain. They have pulled this off by a relentless propaganda campaign, which successfully diverted the anger of a large part of the population toward the most vulnerable members of society such as immigrants and the unemployed.This book is a must-read: only if its message is widely understood by a majority of ordinary citizens will there be any hope of restoring their democratic right to manage the economy for the benefit of all. While the book focuses on the UK, its message is equally relevant for other countries in Europe and the rest of the world.
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佐藤國雄
5.0 out of 5 stars よく書けている
Reviewed in Japan on 3 September 2017
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若い著者であるが徹底的にインタビュー調査のうえ深い洞察に満ちたものになっている。世界的なベストセラーになるのも無理からぬ
と思う。政治家からマスコミにいたるまで英国の深い階層性に毒された姿は、まだ発現してきていないが、日本でも少しづつ醸成されつつ
あるように感ずる。
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Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars ouvre les yeux
Reviewed in France on 29 December 2023
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À lire absolument. Révéler la corruption en détail
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Skygold
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Reading, Well Written and Well Researched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2015
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Recommended.
Well written, soundly researched and quite an eye-opener.
I imagine I wasn't alone in thinking that institutions (referred to on an almost daily basis by our press) such as "Think Tanks" were reasonably balanced resources, created for genuine investigation rather than as propaganda machines, bankrolled in so many cases by the predatory companies that are lining up to privatise the NHS and our other public services Or that so many in government have been directly funded by the same predatory companies. It has made me increasingly aware of how biased the majority of our press is, because it's controlled by wealthy people more interested in vested interests than in truth.
The book has given me a much clearer idea of why the 1% own half the world's resources, and how dishonestly they got there.
Change is so important. The British people have so many positive values and traits and these are steadily being ground away by those who have sold their souls to the power of Greed. Profit before People.
I knew the American establishment had sold out to the corporations (and the American people are paying the price) but I hadn't realised how far it had gone in the UK.
Well done, Mr Jones!
(quote below not taken from the book)
"The wealthy piss on us
and the press tell us it's raining."
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Malone
5.0 out of 5 stars Audio book version is great. The narrator is very good.
Reviewed in Canada on 21 November 2025
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I'm enjoying the audio book version much better. The narrator is great and the book is very well written. Recommended if you are interested in this type of topic.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Vademecum of how rich steal from the poor
Reviewed in Spain on 17 November 2014
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Owen Jones gives a much-needed analysis of how the establishment in Britain (but also applicable to any country in the Western world) have managed to hijack political discourse and persuade us that the welfare state is a waste of money and that the poor are undeserving . A must-read if you wish to understand our age of hijacked media and privatization of public services .
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Antony Simpson
4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: The Establishment – And How They Get Away with It by Owen Jones
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2015
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
From AntonySimpson.com:
n The Establishment, Owen Jones starts by defining Britain’s Establishment today. Then Jones looks back at political history to how the modern day Establishment of Britain came to be, focusing on each facet, in chapters titled: The Outriders, The Westminster Cartel, Mediaocracy, The Boys in Blue, Scrounging off the State, Tycoons and Tax-Dodgers, Masters of the Universe and The Illusion of Sovereignty.
In ‘The Outriders’ Jones explains how a few wealthy elite changed societies view (the ‘Overton Window’) from one of socialism to capitalism, the free market and privatisation. Jones demonstrates how people with alternative views to The Establishment are silenced, discredited or have their lives destroyed for speaking out.
In ‘The Westminster Cartel’ Jones exposes the revolving door of MPs going back and forth between Politics, Business, the Media and Think Tanks. In ‘Mediaocracy’ Jones reveals the media’s role in propaganda both for governments and against, with the media’s agenda being those of their wealthy owners – whom have close-links with MPs from all political parties.
In ‘The Boys in Blue’ Jones describes the role the Police played in creating today’s Establishment and gives examples of Police corruption and cover ups. He explains how the Establishment eventually turned on the Police. Jones gives real examples of the inequality of Police treatment between different groups, which includes the difference in treatment between those with power and those without.
Jones writes about the real people ‘Scrounging off the State’: the wealthy elite. He writes that public assets, such as the railways, are being and have been sold off for profit. That the wealthy elite get the profits, as well as tax-payer subsidies (as well as benefits for employees on low wages, healthcare for their employees, employees educated by the state, etc.) but that the tax-payer shoulders all the risk. If something goes wrong – like it did with the Banks, big business relies on the State to step in and bail them out.
In ‘Tycoons and Tax-Dodgers’ Jones explains how the rich feel that they pay enough tax and sheds light on the complicated tax avoidance schemes used by big businesses, that are all perfectly legal – thanks to the big businesses’ Lobbyists, Accountants and PR firms. Jones exposes the toxic relationship between the Treasury and big companies. That big companies actually help to develop Tax Policy with Treasury Civil Servants and the Government.
In ‘Masters of the Universe’ Jones examines the financial sector, particularly ‘the City’ referring to London’s financial sector. Jones discusses how successive governments relaxed regulation to keep their Banker friend’s happy prior to the financial collapse in 2008. That despite the collapse and the tax-payer bailout to the tune of over a trillion pounds, there is still no real robust regulation and there’s an attitude of continue as before. That the financial sector is driven by an unregulated greed for profit, a big bonus culture and to increase the wealth of the already extremely wealthy.
In ‘The Illusion of Sovereignty’ Jones scrutinises the relationship between Britain’s Establishment, the United States of America (US) and European Union (EU). He shows that the Establishment’s mentality is international and shared with the US, by looking at the history of the ‘special relationship’. Jones looks at the history of the Britain and the EU, identifying some elements of the EU that share the British Establishment’s mentality and other elements that oppose the British Establishment’s mentality. This mix of shared and opposed views to the British Establishment, is most likely why there is a politically mixed view of the EU in the UK.
In Jones’ final chapter titled ‘Conclusion: A Democratic Revolution’ he states that the Establishment is being run for a wealthy few, rather than for the majority. He states that the majority have had enough; enough of falling living standards, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and that the time to challenge the Establishment is now. Jones states that austerity is ideological rather than required. He identifies changes to improve society, but gives little practical advice for readers who may want to get involved with political change. This chapter was also the shortest in the book, which was a slight disappointment.
Throughout The Establishment, Owen Jones references the points that he makes, shares interviews he has conducted with people who have been involved with creating and maintaining the Establishment and gives examples to illustrate his points.
The Establishment shows the shocking level of corruption and vested interests, along with laws that protect the wealthy elite – all created by The Establishment (the wealthy elite) to balance society in their favour. It will make you think. Hopefully by Jones shining a light on the murky Establishment it will lead to the people challenging The Establishment for the political change they want.
The Establishment is an excellent and informative book about how society has come to operate today for the minority and how it can be changed to operate for the majority. The Establishment is an essential read for all, especially those interested in politics or political change.
Review soon,
Antony
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escritorus
4.0 out of 5 stars First class, makes you think.
Reviewed in Spain on 12 February 2018
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Well written, lucid and informative, and a challenge to question the current status quo and the obscene inequality in the U.K.
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Don Davidson
3.0 out of 5 stars Yawn
Reviewed in Canada on 12 December 2019
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In general, I find this type of subject matter absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately, this is probably the most boring book I've ever read. I've read accounting textbooks that were more interesting than this. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to take such an interesting topic and turn it into a painful snorefest.
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From other countries
Chantal
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!
Reviewed in Germany on 1 July 2017
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Amazing book, written by the young Guardian columnist Owen Jones. This book is entertaining and erudite, never turning into a rant but simply explaining how British society and many other European societies work. It doesn't leave you feeling powerless and frustrated, it is too interesting a journey for that.
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Tergon
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly reccommended
Reviewed in the United States on 27 December 2015
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This is a great book that explains and summarizes the causes, features and effects of neoliberal ideology and practices which became mainstream in Europe. Owen Jones analyses in depth the case of the UK. However, it is amazing how similar this is to other countries. I'm from a south European country and was shocked to realize that our politicians, outriders and media speak precisely the same language. And when I say precisely I'm not exaggerating. It's the same people! During austerity, the top 10% got richer while the poorest 10% sunk in poverty. Outriders are all over defending the interests of the wealthiest in compliant media owned by rich people or obscure corporations. They have shifted the terms of acceptable debate and public companies were quickly privatized. Right wing politicians have managed to shift public anger towards public-sector workers and benefit-claiming people, the unemployed and immigrants (twice amazing as during the crisis there was a lot of emigration). These politicians are completely detached from real life and seem to think they are above and deserve better than other people. They created a narrative that the crisis had been caused by overspending and used that as a pretext to slash salaries and pensions and crush the national healthcare and public education services. This, while injecting millions in banks to "save" private shareholders and rich deposits (whereas the minimum salary “could not” be increased because that would be "too expensive"). And so on, just as Owen Jones tells.
Where I think the author is too soft is in attributing this simply to a set of values shared by establishment members. I cannot agree. There have been conspiracies to undermine public services in order to prove their inefficiency and lower their value before quickly selling them, for example. The last chapter of the book, about the democratic revolution, is also a bit naïve in my opinion.
But overall the book is excellent and made me understand a lot about what's going on in Europe and the world.
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Simon
3.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening book but 3 times longer than necessary
Reviewed in Germany on 17 February 2017
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This book revealed to me how money and politics work in the UK but the book is rather one-sided and repeats the same point several times over, making it a bit monotonous in the end.
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Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on 17 March 2015
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A very insightful read into the goings on within the UK's Establishment being the Media, Politicians, Big Business and other stakeholders interested in maintaining the status quo. Having said that it would be inteesting to get a take from the other side of the fence.
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M
5.0 out of 5 stars Great representation of politics and corporate corruption.
Reviewed in Canada on 27 October 2019
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Excellent explanation of the destruction of conservatism and the corruption of political parties in England as well as other western nation's with so called democracy that can easily be manipulated by the powers to be .
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conjunction
5.0 out of 5 stars A Job Well Done
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 June 2015
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First of all, I wish Amazon would undo whatever they did to encourage so many short and useless reviews. This makes it much harder to find the interesting reviews about any of their products. It didn't used to be this way until about two years ago.
This book is a triumph. Jones is one of the best modern journalists, he has courage, insight, and the ability to marshal a massive array of facts in different areas with relevance and perspective. This book has the insight and reach of work by colleagues like Nicholas Shaxson and Lutz Kleveman, but in this case his talents focus on all aspects of public life in one country, and have a particular impact for that reason.
His book is divided into chapters on different areas of public life, and he makes the following points:
1) Westminster is dominated by a lobbying culture. Many MPs are deeply influenced by lobbyists employed by large corporations. These lobbyists influence the way they vote and indeed how they draw up policies, and in many cases then offer them jobs. Jones says: `46% if top fifty publicly traded firms in the Uk had a member of the British political elite as either a director or a shareholder....The corporate-legislative connection in Great Britain was an astonishing six times stronger than the Western European average, and ten times higher than in the Nordic states'.
2) It is extremely hard these days to become a journalist unless you have private money. The result? Nearly all journalists are well-off sons and daughters of the establishment with little or no understanding of or empathy with the masses of the population. Newspaper owners have inordinate influence on government policy.
3) Mrs. Thatcher gave the police a 45% pay rise at the beginning of her reign to ensure their loyalty as she smashed the unions. Now there is little or no organised opposition to the Establishment it no longer needs the police and so their salaries and loyalty are dropping.
4) Yes we do have scroungers off the state and they are called big business. We all know we bailed out the banks, but the state which free marketeers pretend to deride actually finances them in subsidies every time they scrape their knee. Jones gives many examples, especially in the rail industry.
5) Jones details how massively rich accountancy firms first of all are roped in by the civil service to help them draft tax laws and then advise their international corporation clients how to dodge the laws, adopting the most fantastical structures of smoke and mirrors to avoid tax, costing countless billions to Westminster.
6) 12 times as many bankers were paid £1 million bonuses in 2012 as in any other EU country.
7) Jones discusses the way the UK is in hock to the USA, notably with the Extradition Treaty of 2003, and to Europe as regards free market legislation pertaining there as well as in the UK.
Many other reviewers have criticised Jones for not offering solutions.
This is unfair. In fact he offers a detailed list of proposals, most of which make a lot of sense.
What I like about this book is that for a long time I have known a lot of things were wrong, but I didn't understand how it all held together.
Jones highlights the role of accountancy firms, lobbyists and the media. They are the glue which weld business to Westminster.
A job well done.
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesante libro
Reviewed in Spain on 17 January 2016
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Interesante libro junto con el de Chavs, del mismo autor (Owen Jones). La entrega se realizó antes de lo esperado (se encontraba en stock) y en perfectas condiciones.
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paul b.
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and devastating
Reviewed in Spain on 10 June 2015
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Poor beware, corporate feudalism has come out of the closet. Thank the gods there are journalists as thorough and socially aware as Owen Jones.
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wayne armitstead
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 26 July 2016
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Helps to explain the recent brexit vote.
Should be read in conjunction with Stiglitz's book The Price of Inequality.
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Veronica I. Bolan
5.0 out of 5 stars The shocking truth about today's UK government.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 August 2015
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An absolutely riveting read. Ever suspect that the current UK government was not as open and honest as it portrays itself to be? Here's the evidence to confirm your worst fears. Big business, media, spin doctors and politicians manipulating the system for massive personal gain, and the minds of the population to make them think it is for their own good. They represent the biggest threat to our democracy today, and now is the time to challenge them. People are now beginning to realise they have been conned all these years, and are looking around for true democratic socialist politicians who genuinely care about this country and its people. The right-wing Conservative brand of politics that exists only to continually fill the pockets of the rich needs to be brought to an end but, in saying that, the country does not need a return to pseudo-democracy of New Labour, which was as far away from genuine social democratic politics as it was possible to be without actually being a Conservative. The citizens of the UK need to reclaim their country from the Establishment and re-establish true social democracy. Politicians work for the people, the people don't work for the politicians, and they need to be held accountable for their actions. This book should be required reading in every educational establishment in the land.
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rom other countries
Jane Heck
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book
Reviewed in Germany on 21 October 2014
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A very revealing and disturbing book, which provides evidence for a lot of things one has long suspected. A fascinating read.
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catalan reader
4.0 out of 5 stars translated
Reviewed in Spain on 31 March 2015
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Deberia ser traducido a cuantos mas idiomas mejor. Even in catalan language of course.
What you propose is dificult but necessary. Thanks Mr. Jones
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Christabelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book, taught me so much that I didn't know and probably wouldn't have found out otherwise
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2015
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What a brilliant book! I am really impressed by how well Owen Jones knows his stuff!
Jones deals with the key elements of the establishment (mainstream political parties, think tanks, the media, the police force), and one of his key themes is the revolving door between these different elements, with key players moving from one to another and sometimes back again.
I found the history lesson in chapter one particularly interesting, about how an initially tiny number of, at the time, ‘ideological pariahs’: free-market thinkers who believed that the social-democratic consensus which characterised the decades after the Second World War (involving for example considerable state intervention in the economy, a 75% top rate of income tax and public ownership of key industries and utilities) was misguided and set out to reverse this ‘socialist ratchet’. In the 1970s, many free-market think tanks were founded, these developed and disseminated ideas that would later become not only the cornerstones of Thatcherism, but moreover a new ‘common sense’.
In later chapters, Jones turns on its head the notion that we now live in a society of truly free market capitalism: ‘British capitalism is completely dependent on the largesse of the state’ and ‘free-market ideology is often little more than a front for placing public assets in private hands at the expense of society’. The state provides the infrastructure without which companies simply could not function, gives massive subsidies to business, tops up low wages and spends £24 billion per year on housing benefit, much of which goes to private landlords (among whom can be found a number of MPs). Interestingly, Jones makes the point that it is not only left-wingers who are critical of this ‘socialism for the rich’; libertarian right-wingers acknowledge it too and in the course of his research Jones spoke to Douglas Carswell (now UKIP’s sole MP). Yet it is poorer members of society receiving social security benefits who are widely portrayed by the mainstream media and many politicians as ‘scroungers’, as a drain on the hard-working taxpayer.
Jones also discusses corporate tax avoidance, as well as Britain’s financial sector, the background to the 2008 financial collapse and the subsequent state bailout of the banks, which of course lends support to his claim that ‘Risk and debt have become nationalized, and carried by the population, while the profitable elements are privatized’.
There is loads that I could write about this book, but I haven’t got time to and anyway it’s best to read it for yourself. I do not know how useful this book would be for those seeking a really academic study of ‘the establishment’, but I’m pretty sure that this is not Owen Jones’ target audience. ‘The Establishment’ is an absolute ‘must have’ for the general reader who has an interest in politics or society, or for anyone who simply wonders why their opinions don’t seem to be represented by mainstream politicians (maybe this will change now that someone from outside ‘the establishment’ has been elected Labour leader!). I think the book needed better editing but my only other criticism would be that, in my opinion, Jones is too hard on the police; although mentioning at the start of chapter four that the police keep members of the public safe, sometimes by placing themselves in danger (and indeed providing a short anecdote in support of this from the chairman of the Police Federation), he does not give sufficient weight to this and to the fact that by far the majority of individual police officers are just ‘ordinary’ men and women trying to do the best job they possibly can in circumstances that are frequently challenging. Other than this, I can’t recommend this book highly enough – thanks so much Owen Jones for letting us know what’s really going on!
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Luana
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential read...
Reviewed in the United States on 21 November 2015
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...for those wanting to get an inside look at the upper echelons of power on both sides of the spectrum, with candid interviews from members of parliament, trade union representatives, conservative think tank leaders, media magnates and more.
I say "both sides of the spectrum," but a clear left-right division is a fairy tale -- at least in the UK, the area that chiefly concerns this book. A chapter is devoted to the influence of US and EU power brokers, but Owen Jones remains mainly interested in affairs at a national level.
Chief takeaways from this book:
1.) Thatcher's influence was astronomical, and today's Labour party is its biggest victory -- by moving accepted discourse so far to the right that voters essentially had the choice between "right wing" and "marginally less right wing."
2.) Laissez-faire capitalism in modern Britain is only for poor people: they're the ones expected to pull themselves up by their bootstraps -- gumption, personal responsibility and all that. Nanny state socialism is only there for megacorps and banks: if they stumble, it's the state (and as a result, the tax-payer) that ends up paying for it.
3.) Mainstream media reporting is almost wholly done by those middle class and up, and is subject to such crazy deadlines that they're often just slightly editing corporate/barely disguised corporate-sponsored think tank press releases.
There's tons more in this great, great book, and I suggest you pick it up post-haste before the post in your haste gets bought up by a Qatar concern.
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PS
4.0 out of 5 stars As Owen says, the people who run Britain are ...
Reviewed in the United States on 14 December 2014
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As Owen says, the people who run Britain are not so much the powerful as the stewards or lackeys of the powerful. The entire London political elite, comprising all English parties except the Greens, has been bought and paid for (cheap) by the foreign interests they serve. UK governments are quisling governments. What we need is elected representatives that serve the interests of the people who elect them,not the markets and the banks.
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therealus
3.0 out of 5 stars Yes, Mr Jones. I mostly agree. Now, what do we do about it?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2015
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Given I agree with most of what Owen Jones says in this book, and believe much of what he reports, I wish I felt able to rate it higher, but it suffers from too many flaws for my liking, and ultimately reading it has left me feeling little better off than had I not done so.
Immediately before writing this review, I read an excellent article by Jones in which he praises Stephen Hawking en route to pointing out that every great public figure, and every great public achievement, is the product not of individual but collective effort, from Hawking’s remarkable survival, thanks in large part to the NHS, through to the creation of the NHS itself, an institution under increasing threat from a bunch of fanatics who obsess over individualism. Side-by-side was an article by James Dyson, of vacuum cleaner fame, slamming the same bunch of fanatics for their insane policies on allowing, or rather not allowing, overseas students who graduate in the UK to stay a while to apply their new-found knowledge to our collective benefit. Dyson is one of Jones’s targets, for shifting his manufacturing overseas, but as Dyson points out, conditions under the rule of the individualism fanatics are such that his manufacturing supply chain is better overseas than domestically, and if they have their way the same will soon apply to his supply of talented engineering graduates, and his R&D will have to move too. Jones’s criticism in this case is restricted to the superficial: it takes no account of the underlying reason for Dyson’s actions, nor that the two of them share a common foe.
Early on in his book, Jones traces the roots of this fanatical individualism, sometimes referred to as Thatcherism, to its origins, under the malign influence of the thoughts of Hayek, in right wing think tanks such as the Adam Smith Institute (which selectively misrepresents the philosophy of its eponymous inspiration), the IEA and the Bow Group. These “outriders”, as he calls them, were seeking to return the UK to some mythical pre-war golden age, disposing of the legacy of post-war, social democratic progress. These are the same people who, since 2008, have sought to divert the blame for the Great Recession from casino banking to public spending. In this they are aided by another section of the Establishment, the press. In order to create the material conditions for the roll out of Thatcherism the unions had to be defanged. So laws were passed and a campaign waged, often violently as in the case of the miners’ strike of the mid-eighties. Enforcement was the responsibility of another part of the Establishment, the police, who at the time were amply rewarded for their efforts. (Anyone remember ASPOM? Officially Avon and Somerset Police Operation Miner, it was dubbed by the officers themselves as Arthur Scargill Pays Our Mortgage.)The press came in handy here in demonising those the police were roughing up, promoting the Enemy Within lie. The depth of the collusion under way at the time has since been exemplified by the revelations of the Hillsborough enquiry, in which the press were complicit in a campaign to discredit Liverpool fans as without exception hooligans, drunks and thieves, in order to take the focus off a shambolic police operation.
However, Jones points out the irony that the police themselves are the subject of cuts, their former champions having turned on them now they have outlived their usefulness. Police officers now talk of striking, and there are symbolic confrontations such as that with chief whip Andrew Mitchell (go on, be honest, how many of you, even those of you who distrust the police, believed Mitchell’s side of the story?). He also points out the perverse incentives set up by the introduction of policing by objectives, with overtime exchanged for arrests, and thus an inordinate number of young people, disproportionately black, arrested for possession of negligible amounts of cannabis, criminalising a generation.
But perhaps the biggest irony Jones highlights is in the bailout, by the state, of that ultimate bastion of anti-statist individuality, the City, following the debacles of 2008. Socialism for them; Thatcherism for the rest of us. Underlying this is a cosy relationship mysteriously neglected by much of the press: I remember clearly their belittling negotiations between a Labour government and the unions as being over “beer and sandwiches”; I don’t recall a similar treatment of talks over wine and canapés. But clearly these are taking place between the Thatcherite ideologues of the coalition government, the Thatcherite outriders of the right wing think tanks and lobby firms, and the City hierarchy, often off the record and unaccountable. This preferential treatment of Establishment fellow travellers contrasts obscenely with the treatment of those at the bottom of the heap unable to find work and trying to claim benefits, demonised by, you guessed it, the press, as lazy thieving scroungers (with reference to Hillsborough, do you see a pattern developing here?), and treated as such by benefits clerks whose targets, similar to those of the police, set up perverse incentives. And whilst denying the poorest a basic level of relief, billions are poured in to Quantitative Easing, a scheme characterised by Jones as a pro-rich scam of negative benefit to the majority of the population. Instead of creating money for investment in things that matter like R&D (back to Dyson here), infrastructure (note the market failure of power generation, with talk of “brown outs” due to inadequate generating capacity, a result of the short-termism of private industry), education, a functioning health service (tried getting an ambulance lately?), or social housing, we hand money over to people who already have it to shift their activities from relatively stable government bonds to the same kinds of high-risk financial instruments that got us in the hole in the first place.
All of this and more I agree with (and have added my own garnish to, for what it’s worth). And yet, as with the rather unfair lambasting of Dyson, sometimes Jones takes cheap shots which are easily deflected. Criticising the army recruitment service, for example, because it doesn’t mention the killing and dying bit, is a little like criticising a ski resort for not mentioning that snow can be a bit slippery, and extremely patronising to the people he purports to be defending, the working class youths who comprise the bedrock of our armed forces (and always have done, as long as there has been a working class). Similarly, he picks out one part of the proposed EU-US TTIP trade agreement for (justifiable) criticism, but fails to address the potential overall benefits, or costs, of the deal. In fact he sets up the US-UK-EU relationship as thoroughly bad, which is not at all true (and I doubt even he believes it!). And what about the church? This former cornerstone of the Establishment merits a single paragraph, in the Introduction, and it is true that the church has lost much of its influence, partly due to a secularisation of UK society. And yet what is significant about the church now is the way it sometimes bites the hand of those in power, for example criticising the government, as has the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, for creating the conditions under which food banks are necessary in the UK. Perhaps he found, inconveniently, that the church, for all its toadying to the monarchy, doesn’t quite fit his thesis.
It’s a little lazy, in other words, and this is also reflected in the repetitious nature of the prose (I got particularly irritated by the number of institutions and individuals for which he considered the adjective “iconic” to be appropriate, to the point that it now irritates me when I encounter it in other peoples’ writing). I also got tired of his repetitive scene setting: there can’t be a greasy spoon caff, high-end nosh palace or any point on the intervening continuum he didn’t meet someone whilst researching the book; too many of his interviewees betray their origins through residual accents.
But the real blind spot is in his inability to propose an alternative vision. It’s clear what he’s against; less clear what he’s for. UK Uncut were great while they lasted, but where are they now? Ditto Occupy, which turned out to be not much more than a fad. Thomas Piketty, whom Jones cites, at least offers proposals for redressing the wealth/income imbalance, albeit ones that may come under the heading Utopian. Jones offers not much more than “not this”.
So sorry, Mr Jones. I am likely on your side when it comes to despising the Establishment and most of its works, but I don’t see much of a guiding light indicating how we slip their embrace.
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Cliente Amazon
1.0 out of 5 stars delivery - one month
Reviewed in Spain on 5 January 2016
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I placed the order a month before - it was a gift for December 15th. I placed the order November 28. I received the book December 24th.
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Neil Griffiths
4.0 out of 5 stars I find this frustrating as this is such a well-researched book that to leave things like this hanging means that it is not alway
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2016
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When I first started on this book I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Owen Jones is beloved of the left wing in the UK and, having seen him on TV, I wasn’t too sure if I was about to be preached at for 300-odd pages.
Thankfully this wasn’t to be. What Owen Jones has written is a well-researched critique into the reality of living in Britain today. His deconstruction of the ruling elite of the United Kingdom is both fascinating and instructive. There is nothing really new here from the point of revelations but to have the connections between the different strata’s of British society and the inequality that comes from not being one of the few at the top is a stark lesson in privilege and arrogance.
Each chapter in the book deals with a different element of the establishment from the politicians in Westminster and the bankers in the City to the media barons that shape policy in this country to their needs and the police who operate in subtly different ways depending on your status in society. They are a study in hypocrisy and a form of behaviour that is damaging the UK on any number of levels.
I would draw issue with a number of things that Owen Jones says in his book. Not because of what he says but because there are a number of different reasons that these situations could have been reached that are not down to any kind of establishment plot. A case in point would be that he draws the attention to the fact that there is now an over-representation of the professional classes within parliament and that the voice of the working classes is no longer getting heard. But whilst he points this out what he doesn’t say is whether the reason for this is because the parties are selecting their MP’s to weigh it in such a way as to favour the professional classes (possible) or whether this is because the MP’s from the working class backgrounds have either failed to hold their seat or have not been elected in the first place (also possible) come election time. To be fair there is going to be a bit of both in the answer, I think, but Owen Jones does not make this clear. There are other examples in this book but this was the first. I find this frustrating as this is such a well-researched book that to leave things like this hanging means that it is not always possible to get a true picture of what is happening, at least from the perspective of where Owen Jones is coming from.
That having been said, the chapters on the banking sector and the practice of tax-evasion make you very angry and want to scream out for the reform of both the financial services industry and the tax code in this country.
This is one of those rare books that can actually help shape and change a debate which is already ongoing. Russell Brand describes Owen Jones as this generation’s George Orwell. I would disagree, Owen Jones is an outstanding investigative journalist, easily one of the best if not the best in the country, but he is not the polemicist that Orwell was. Whilst Jones has a skill for placing facts in front of a reader and putting them in to a context that illustrates the stark effects on society, I think he lacks the raw anger and moral indignation that framed so much of Orwell’s work. This may change over time but for now Owen Jones has some way to go before he can be spoken of in the same sentence.
As for the book? It is easily the most coherent and well-argued case for far reaching change in our society to have been published in years and should be read by everybody who wants to see how this country really works. Unfortunately the lack of clarity in some of his arguments mean that you can feel a little short-changed in some places and this is frustrating. For that reason I’m giving it 4 stars.
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Vivien Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars modesty and engagement of a great story-teller. I can't urge you too strongly to ...
Reviewed in the United States on 17 August 2015
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Many books are described as 'life-changing' but this, if you are interested in comtemporary politics and how our lives are run, will change the way you look at and understand what's going on around you. Owen Jones analyses how the establishment (i.e. everything that adds up to controlling the way we live and even the way we think) works with the scalpel-like precision of a brain surgeon and the humour, modesty and engagement of a great story-teller. I can't urge you too strongly to read this book. Actually, it will change your life.
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AndyCC
5.0 out of 5 stars Want to really understand how the UK is run? Then start by reading this book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 August 2016
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I have seen Owen Jones on television several times, when he often comes across as a very angry young man - angry at the system we have in this country. This book is a complete contrast to his television persona. In it he calmly describes the structural and social economic faults of the UK and explodes the myth that exploitative free market capitalist companies are the reason for the nation's economic success. Many of these well known companies are the biggest recipients of state subsidies, handouts and tax breaks, otherwise known as welfare when it is provided to low income individuals and families. He discusses at great length how in the last couple of decades how big business has been supported by Labour, Coalition and Tory governments at the expense of the taxpayer and "ordinary" worker.
This book reveals Owen Jones to be a very intelligent, well-educated and thoughtful individual who has studied what is wrong with the system UK and describes it in considerable detail. Some of it, such as the massive state bailouts of the banks in 2008-09, is well documented and widely known by the general public.
In the final part of the book he discusses how the system can be changed to benefit the majority of the population, not just the large vested interests of the current political and business Establishment - changed through wider public participation in socio-economic evolution, not violent revolution.
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Jolly Roger
4.0 out of 5 stars Makes some good points
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2020
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Having read this I can’t really say that there is anything in here which was an enormous revelation to me. Yes, the enormous greed of the banks has caused ordinary people to suffer an extended period of financial pain and austerity. Media owned by billionaires do regularly like to put various minorities up as scapegoats, quite possibly to distract from the real villains of our society. There is no doubt that the rich are becoming richer, while the wages of ordinary people have stagnated or fallen in real terms. The way that politicians gave themselves enormous pay rises while refusing to give any pay rises to people who actually really deserved it, such as nurses and firemen, was an absolute disgrace, as were the revelations about MP expenses claims. I was already aware of those facts. For many years I have been describing New Labour to my wife as ‘Tories with red ties’, so it was no great surprise to discover that Margaret Thatcher appears to have felt the same way about them.
I don’t necessarily agree with all his conclusions, either. Reimposing monetary controls, for example, doesn't exactly strike me as a vote winner. There were also some aspects of the writing/editing which I felt distracted from the overall clarity of the message somewhat. I found the introduction quite boring. It felt repetitive, it went on far too long and there was too much discussion of what the implications of various possible outcomes of the 2015 election might be. As I was reading the book in 2020 I didn’t find that particularly interesting. Fortunately the book itself was much more interesting than the introduction.
I didn’t like the fact that he appeared to be talking in fairly glowing terms of both Tom Watson and what he referred to as the ‘Libertarian Conservative MP Douglas Carswell’. Both are people that I deeply despise. Douglas Carswell was a UKIP MP, part of a racist party that had close links with ‘Tommy Robinson’ and other similar dregs of society. Tom Watson did his best to undermine Jeremy Corbyn in any way whatsoever at every possible opportunity, so as far as I’m concerned he’s typical of politicians that are only interested in gaining power and then holding onto it. He appeared to view Jeremy Corbyn as unelectable, so did everything possible to hasten his demise.
There were also quite a few cases of words which should have an S in them, such as ‘demonisation’, which had the S changed to a Z and became ‘demonization’. Owen Jones is English (despite having a Welsh-sounding name), he’s not American. As demonisation seems to be one of his favourite words, this soon became quite tedious. They appear to be so keen on inserting Zs where there should be an S that they even invented a completely new word, ‘metamorphosizing’! Clearly they couldn’t bear to use the correct word, metamorphosing, presumably because they wouldn’t be able to change the S to a Z. There were also various phrases cropping up so often that it soon became a little wearing. One example would be: ‘The media and political elites are frequently deeply intertwined’. So I wouldn’t say that it was a well-written book, which possibly detracted on occasion from the overall message that it was trying to convey.
However, I believe that most people will find this an interesting read, even though they won’t necessarily agree with all the conclusions, so I would recommend it and give a rating of four stars.
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Dr Peter A. McCue
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful and informative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2020
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For some years after the Second World War, there was a fair degree of consensus among the main political parties in the UK that the state had a legitimate role to play in the country’s economic affairs and that it made sense for certain key industries to be publicly-owned. However, in the 1970s, and particularly after Margaret Thatcher became its leader in 1975, the Conservative Party increasingly championed ‘neo-liberal’ ideas, such as deregulation, lowering of taxes on the rich, and privatization. Think tanks were established to develop and promote these ideas. The Tories won the 1979 general election and then the next three. They implemented an agenda of privatization, tax-cutting, and other measures that benefited the rich. By the time that Labour got back into power, in 1997, it was calling itself ‘New Labour’, cosying up to elements of the right-wing media, and positioning itself as centrist and pro-business rather than socialist. The Conservative-led Coalition Government of 2010-15 continued with policies that allowed the rich to become richer while cutting living standards for others via ‘austerity’.
Owen Jones’ fascinating book examines these developments in detail, marshalling a wide array of facts and figures to support his thesis that although the UK is nominally a democratic country, a self-interested clique of the rich and powerful (the ‘Establishment’) really runs the show. He notes that although its members use top accountancy firms to avoid paying tax, they’re willing to take money from the public purse, as when the banks were bailed out during the financial crisis in 2008.
Overall, I regard this as an excellent book, although I don’t find everything in it perfectly clear. However, that’s partly because I’m not well-versed in all the complex economic and financial topics that Jones covers. While I agree with his broad arguments, I disagree with him on a couple of points: (1) He makes passing references to immigration, but he doesn’t seem to acknowledge that it’s a serious problem for the UK, given the harmful environmental effects of over-population. (2) He advocates more devolution (pp. 310-1). Arguably, though, devolution has already gone too far, threatening the very integrity of the UK.
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JAT
3.0 out of 5 stars Always it’s the old conception of rulers and the poor ruled, Right and Left respectively
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 September 2015
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This book has a curiously old-fashioned ring. Sure, I’ve only read the first half (I’ll probably read on, after a bit of a pause), and I accept that Jones’s world view/value system is totally different from mine (I’m not left wing, nor a Labour supporter) – but there’s much in the book that I agree with, and found informative. But Jones seems to me to be a little preoccupied with things as they were a few decades ago. It was written and published in the days of the Con/Lib coalition, now rather behind us (it would be interesting to know what he makes of Cameron’s government now, and the possible-take-over of Labour by Corbynism (I’m writing just prior to the Labour leadership election). But in this book we have the wicked Thatcher and Murdoch media, along with awful big business (and bankers, of course), pitting themselves against a rather-traditional-sounding working class, and a rather-saintly Democracy (which is not, here, just the least-worst-system we know of). One might expect him to think of the old phrase “Tory press” for the media. The fact is that The Establishment is whatever you define it as, or rather, wherever you see the badness, in our system, to reside. Jones is honest enough to say that he might have been called “Establishment” – and in my definition, he would be its essence. Always it’s the old conception of rulers and the poor ruled, Right and Left respectively. But all this is old hat. Take Jones’s analysis of “bias in the BBC”. Here, it’s an anti-Left bias that’s considered, and as the Corp is ruled by former Tory bigwigs, that – he tells us – simply can’t be true. But the BBC bias (why do we call it the Brazenly Biased Corp?) lies elsewhere. The Establishment, in reality, consists of rulers who are part of the metropolitan so-called liberal elite, many are within the Westminster bubble (most of us never get to drink with a big-wig in Hampstead, as Jones seems to be doing all the time); they believe in things like the promotion of homosexuality, global warming, “diversity” and multiculturalism, the EU, abortion and other Culture of Death projects; they oppose things like traditional patriotism, Israel, Christianity, and authentic marriage. Thus, they’re as likely to be Left Wing as CINO (Conservative In Name Only, ie. Cameron’s lot). Thus the BBC swamps us with daily propaganda for these causes, is filled with metrosexual “comedians”, and has former-Guardianistas in the newsroom; the fact that the DG once worked for the Modern Conservative party is irrelevant. Likewise, the police. Sure, once chief constables led the charge against the working class at Orgreave; now they lead the local Gay Pride march, and the bias is away from the burgled householder towards the burglar. Local authorities hush up the evil doings of Muslims in Rotherham for fear of being labelled “racist”.The political parties (and everything else) have changed since the world of Thatcherism and Co., which Jones seems to have at least one foot stuck in.
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Emma Loftus
2.0 out of 5 stars Seems The Establishment is an opinion
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 December 2025
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The author works for The Guardian so thought it may be a bit left/liberal and gave up within the introduction as it seems The Establishment is massed for the right wing and somewhat coerced by the opposition. Only the Greens were classed as anti estab by him and didn't want my intelligence insulted for a further 300 pages!
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KC
4.0 out of 5 stars Everything you know to be true said by an Oxford grad
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2015
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Said everything I already knew to be true in an eloquent, well argued manner. Jones didn't hold back and discussed topics readers of all ages will be familiar with from the Hillsborough disaster to the bank bailout. It did take me a while to get into it at the beginning but he was soon enough on a roll, full of facts and arguments difficult to argue with. There were many different people and perspectives pulled together into a bigger picture, a picture that as a working class girl, a student at that I find pretty grim to look at it. Jones deals with it bluntly although his conclusion did feel somewhat lackluster.
But the overall book is an unforgettable read, bringing events we have already heard of to the forefront of our minds. I wasn't even born when the Hillsborough Disaster took place and had never studied it in school, I only knew about it as an event of police brutality. To read the details was quite disturbing and reminded me of events in America as well as police using tasers on Warwick University students. Speaking of, I wish Jones had spent more time on the attack of the younger generation. He did talk about how businesses rely on the public sector to train future employees and give a good education and why apprenticeships are needed.
However, with tuition fees bumped up, maintenance grants cut but more students going to university than ever, I think Jones could've mentioned why the Establishment is attacking students and what we can do about it. Of course, I'm biased being a student and to be fair to Jones, students weren't ignored altogether.
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OK Cole
2.0 out of 5 stars Promising title but fails in delivery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 December 2016
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Having been recommended by 2 friends independently, I was looking forward to reading this book, it. Yet, within a few pages, I became uneasy when the author, Owen Jones, described the Establishment as an “inkblot”, implying it to be a shape-shifting network which morphs according to whatever represents its greatest benefit. This is to confer intelligence upon the Establishment which is not supported in the book. Instead, the author uses the label Establishment loosely and opportunistically as a pejorative for each topic he discusses. This leads to confusion and inconsistencies in his analyses as some of the institutions described seem to be victims, enablers and members of the Establishment at different times.
Several of the issues he discusses represent institutional failings but have already been written about in detail, e.g. the Hillsborough disaster, and the Iraq War. However, failures of government have been written about already and more effectively in “The Blunders of our Governments” by A. King and I. Crewe.
Other failings can be ascribed to human greed, arguably an intrinsic (and unattractive) determinant of human behaviour but one which is by no means unique to the UK or its Establishment. The excesses of the City and some of its major players, especially Goldman Sachs, have already been described colourfully by Matt Taibbi in “Griftopia”.
The Trades Unions are described in sympathetic terms, as victims of the actions of the Establishment although, at one point, I had the distinct impression that Mr. Jones was describing the Unions as if they were part of the Establishment, to illustrate my point about confusion. He describes them as largely blameless in the events leading up to the legislation enacted by the Thatcher government which reduced their power very considerably. That is to ignore 20 years of strikes which brought several governments to their knees and were intended to do so.
A more conventional definition of the Establishment, e.g. “The term is most often used in the United Kingdom, in which context it includes leading politicians, senior civil servants, senior barristers and judges, aristocrats, Oxbridge academics, senior clergy in the established Church of England, the most important financiers and industrialists, governors of the BBC, and the members of and top aides to the royal family” will be recognised by many people and includes several entities which Mr Jones ignored or glossed over. I had hoped for a book in which cronyism and favouritism within this community were analysed and discussed. Mr. Jones makes only a passing reference to this definition, when quoting Andrew Gilligan near the end of the book. Resistance to change is often included in conventional definitions of establishment and there is ample evidence of this in UK Establishment, e.g. the outdated and often bizarre rituals observed in Parliament, state occasions and deference to inherited title, seen most obviously in the continued existence and influence of the House of Lords. What is the consequence of this on the need for society to evolve?
While greed and institutional failings are criticised as they deserve to be, there is little mention of personal failings, mistakes and basic incompetence. “Old boys’ ” (and presumably men’s and women’s) networks, established on the playing fields of Eton, Oxbridge and the like play a major role in the conventionally understood Establishment. But what happens when 2 of the key “new” Establishment players become estranged as is allegedly the case between Rupert Murdoch and Tony Blair?
Another structural issue which is glossed over is the ever-increasing national debt and the government’s responsibility for addressing it. Those wishing to understood the threat this is to future generations should listen to Niall Ferguson’s Reith Lectures. The explosion in the national debt is blamed on the Cameron/Osborne government with hardly a mention of the failings of Gordon Brown’s failings as Chancellor and Prime Minister in which time the worst excesses of the City were widely known. Personal incompetence, institutional failings or simply the swarm intelligence …. or lack thereof ..... of Mr Jones's new (or the old) Establishment?
The Conclusion was a lightly argued list of suggestions on possible changes which I found unconvincing. I recently listened to a Ted Talks given by George Papandreou on the emergence of a new social order and would recommend that instead.
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truth be told
5.0 out of 5 stars Great expose of the sheer evil of Thatcher's regime
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2021
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Every crisis we are facing in the UK can be laid at Thatcher's door. No social housing to speak of because she forced councils to sell it off. Result, spiralling homelessness and property prices, private landlords making a killing at taxpayers' expense. The banking collapse of 2008 was a direct consequence of her 'Big Bang', whereby she removed all sensible controls on banks and allowed building societies to demutualise. Greed is good she cried, as a few parasites became obscenely rich while the masses were plunged into poverty. Appalling working conditions? Blame her destruction of union rights. Soaring gas prices? Blame the privatisation of the energy supply, resulting in minimal investment. The last large gas storage facility was closed down in 2017. How stupid is that? Rivers like open sewers? Blame the privatised water industry which routinely pumps untreated sewage into the rivers and sea, knowing that token fines are far cheaper than actually investing. Chaotic and overpriced rail network? Well somehow scores of very high executive salaries have to be paid, whereas BR just had one modestly paid management team. Paying countless billions to france and china to build our nuclear power stations? Britain led the world in developing nuclear power, and when it was flogged off the National Grid was still a world leader. Of course, like most of our most essential infrastructure, it was sold mostly to foreign state companies, which gratefully plundered all our technology. The chief beneficiary was france, which is now in a position to cut off much of our electricity. What idiot thought the french could be trusted?
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Serghiou Const
4.0 out of 5 stars A contemptible UK establishment finds its deserving critic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2014
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The special character of the book is that it focuses on the neo-liberal agenda as it relates to the UK and describes its actors - business, politics, and the media - which form and legitimize the UK establishment and are its beneficiaries.
The merit of the book is its exemplar and incisive writing style which brings in stark relief the malaise pervading the British society due to the adoption of the neo-liberal agenda.
The book in particular explores what today's establishment is and how it works; how its ideas became so victorious and unchallenged; what it looks like; how it justifies its behavior; and why it poses a threat to democracy.
The main features of the neo-liberal order are the drastic reduction of taxes on the wealthy and big business; the privatization of public assets; rolling back the role of the state; the unleashing of much-worshiped market forces; the erosion of the welfare state and social security; the most anti-trade-union laws in the western world. The result is the concentration of massive wealth in a tiny minority, an enormous and increasing wealth inequality, increased unemployment, and the impoverishment of the population at large.
Recommended remedies include redistribution of wealth and increased taxes on the wealthy, re nationalization of the railways, energy, and the utilities, rent control, and the introduction of a living wage.
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Tim Dumble
5.0 out of 5 stars The end of socialism for the rich?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 June 2017
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This brilliantly researched, referenced and indexed book has never been more prescient following the recent General Election result which questions the future of neo liberalism.
Indeed increased votes for tax rises and renationalisation, anathema to the laissez faire right, suggest a major shift in the ‘Overton Window’, hinting at the demise of the post 1979 settlement. Jones is eloquent in his damning of the powerful elite, be they politicians, the press, the police, bankers or the city.
He is eloquent in highlighting the hypocrisy of those who favour governance by unrestrained market forces. The author notes how private enterprises are supported by the state in the form of housing benefit, subsidising private landlords, tax credits supporting gig economy wages, taxes bailing out banks, schools educating workforces and rescuing private railways. It seems that risk is nationalised whilst profit is privatised. The State is seen as the backbone or modern capitalism.
Particularly enraging is the revolving door within the elite- the perpetual movement of MPs into the media (most recently Osbourne), business, lobbying, the city and vice versa, thus reinforcing the values and aims of the free market establishment.
Enlightening also is the skill in which the media and politicians have shifted the blame for the 2008 economic crisis from their Establishment friends, to the poor and vulnerable. Whilst tax evasion exceeds benefit fraud by some 21 times it is the latter which receives the greatest attention. Unemployment is blamed on immigrants and austerity on free spending non Establishment politicians.
Jones is also telling in his plan for a post neo liberal future: greater controls on media ownership, a greater focus on industry rather than financialism, the use of bailed out banks to form regional investment banks and a break between tax advisers and tax law makers.
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Martin Holborn
4.0 out of 5 stars Good but read Why We Can't Afford the Rich instead (or as well)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2015
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This is an excellent and long-overdue accessible critique of power in Britain which gives you a pretty good idea of how neoliberal ideas have become entrenched. It exposes the cynical vacuousness of so much that passes as common-sense or sensible economics in a country where social, political and economic thinking have become so tainted by distorted and ideological flag waving for the rich. Owen Jones is particularly strong on the way the private sector 'scrounges' off the state (and taxpayers) to a much greater extent than benefits claimants will ever do. In some respects it updates aspects of Ralph Milliband's (yes Ed's dad of course) State in a Capitalist Society though it is a much more journalistic rather than academic book. It is quite carefully researched, but there are some points which can be questioned and it lacks a little academic rigour in places. Some of the personalised journalistic passages about meeting various individuals are not to everyone's taste (including mine) but they will certainly appeal to some. It is an important book, and it is to be welcomed that it is proving very popular, but a more important, much more rigourous and enlightening book is Andrew Sayer's Why We Can't Afford the Rich. If you only have time to read one radical book on Britain today, read that instead, or better still, find time for both!
41 people found this helpful
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Celia
4.0 out of 5 stars We live lives based on selected fictions
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Lots of reviews on this one which express its strength and weakness. For all his blindness and partiality and unfamiliarity with the commercial world, he makes me question my own complacency and acceptance of the status quo.
I would have liked him to have gone from the premise that humans will always form self serving elites: so, what do we like or not like about our current 'meritocratic' elite? How would we like it to look?
The problem with thinking that we are meritocratic is: if you make it, you did it yourself - no need for humility or a sense of gratitude or obligation.
Does anyone remember E. Shumacher, who was a lefty popular economist of the 70's? Same good analysis followed by rather a tentative solution involving some public ownership of capital.
Nice work Owen - if you still want to ferret out the truth rather than win an argument, some words from Lawrence Durrell -
"We live lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by our position in space and time ....thus every interpretation of reality is based upon a unique position. Two paces east or west and the whole picture is changed.”
3 people found this helpful
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Luke Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Indictment Of Current Social Values
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
The right-wing Establishment has solidified its grasp at the top of British society since the 1980s, and this book wonderfully exposes its terrible flaws and how we can still hope for a return one day to a more socially just system. From the media to the police, from politicians to big business, the Establishment has a pervasive hold over ordinary hard-working people, so that anyone who speaks against the current order is marginalised or even vilified. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the real social order in Britain and how it represses so many people, from violent oppression at Orgreave to Trade Union rights being gradually stripped away.
My sole criticism is that the B.B.C. comes under too much fire from Owen Jones when they are still more objective than most media organisations.
This book was written before the 2015 General Election, but I imagine that - like me - Jones was devastated when the Conservatives won, yet reinvigorated when Jeremy Corbyn was overwhelmingly voted leader of the Labour Party. Let's hope for real change soon, away from reactionary capitalism and free market ideologies, and towards more workers rights and a caring welfare system which is adequately funded.
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DMc
4.0 out of 5 stars You'll get angry
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Well packaged and arrived promptly.
Incredible book. Absolutely stuffed with facts and data to prove the authors points.
He does seem to gloss over the fact that the unions had brought the country to its knees in the 70's and that Thatcher got into power because of the total loss of control by the left.
The miners strike was overly simplified. I witnessed some of those battles between the police and miners.There was good and bad on both sides. "Thatcher starved the miners out".....really! Nothing to do with the Union then. Scargill taking a massive wage and living the good life through the strike is never mentioned. Union leaders on £100k plus are never mentioned either. It's a little bit biased!
Unions seem to be depicted with a halo and their downfall has nothing to do with their behaviour in previous years!
Getting past all that though and this is a great piece of work. A recommended read for anyone interested in how our country runs.
There has been a lot of research done and it shows.
I've started marking pages and making notes in the margins. I've turned into one of those readers!!!
Left or right I would recommend this.
6 people found this helpful
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Geejay
5.0 out of 5 stars Good on Exposition, Lacking in Solutions
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2014
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
There is much to praise about this book and much to make you angry, but most of all, much to make you feel helpless. Other reviews have explained how well Jones marshals his arguments and exposes the Establishment's grip on all aspects of UK society. As I write I've just heard Osborne, (UK Chancellor), announce proposals to reduce the total amount a household can claim on benefits and other social security cuts, neatly confirming Jones's view that a major strategy of the Establishment is to deflect public scrutiny and disapproval from those at the top earning obscene amounts (because they're worth it) to those at the bottom,(because they are scrounging off the rest of us).
It's weakness, however, like many similar books, is in solutions. He calls for a democratic, peaceful revolution and outlines many of the things which must change, but offers no clear strategy as to how that would be achieved. He mentions social media, alternative internet-based media outlets and think tanks to counter the Establishment hegemony but no "road map" to show how we could go about achieving it.
You might expect a political party would offer the means of changing society, but where is such a party? The Tories are the servants of the Establishment; Labour have entered a Faustian pact with the Establishment and have ditched any remnants of Socialism; the Liberals have also sold their soul to enter power and are now totally discredited; UKIP are nutters; that leaves the Green Party which is on the fringe of the fringe and it would take a seismic event to bring them to power.
Where are the anti-Establishment politicians and thinkers? Where is an Attlee, a Beveridge, a Keynes, a Grimond, even a Butler or a Benn?
That's why I feel helpless, especially after the Scottish Referendum result, which was a vote to remain subservient to the Establishment, who in the last few days of the contest, brought all their powers to bear on the "undecideds" with a blitz of negativity.
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Rob Bonner
5.0 out of 5 stars In saying that it is an excellent book it is also very depressing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 August 2016
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
All I can do is to endorse the positive views about this book.
It tells of the stranglehold that the rich have on our country, whether they live here, or as many do, abroad. Why should we be surprised following the conjecture 'where the Camerons will end up after leaving number 10' that they end up in a 17million pound mansion. The control that is exerted by the rich through the written press is well known. What is more shocking is how the BBC news is inhabited by right wing journalists who share the same world view and are incapable of challenging current thinking. I suppose if they did, that would be the end of their careers and aspirations to join the big financial companies; which is a well trodden path. As a result the political and economic views expressed on the BBC news are biased towards business and the rich and as such are totally unreliable.
In saying that it is an excellent book it is also very depressing. Very few have really tried to challenge the establishment, even within the National Executive of the Labour party there is a right wing element which refuses to entertain the fact that this country could be different; and could be more equal. Therein lies the power 'The Establishment', even within what purports to represent the Left of politics. So the 'Establishment' will continue to get away with it. What is 'wrong' will become 'right', what seems to be extremely right wing will become the norm.
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Mogandazra
5.0 out of 5 stars 'The Establishment' is a brilliant tool to support our thinking.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I can't honestly claim to 'love' this book; I'm having to read it in stages, with time off to allow my blood pressure to recover. Owen Jones, described by my husband as 'that raving leftie' isn't raving at all. He gives a calmly reasoned, rational account of the mechanics by which the dominant interest groups in our society are cementing their grip on money and power.
This is by no means conspiracy theorising; much of what he tells us is given in the Establishment's own words - either through interviews, or through their own published manifestos. The writer bends over backwards to explain that these people are not evil monsters - they are simply doing what the system allows them to get away with while ripping up the safety nets for those of us - the vast majority - who are damaged by their actions as they go.
I was born in 1950. Throughout most of my life, although greed, hatred, and demonization of those at the bottom have always existed, yet there remained a sense that society was slowly working towards a more equal, more compassionate, more civilised future. This has been reversed in recent decades. Now, If we want progress for the majority instead of obscene wealth for a few, we need to start thinking hard before the changes that are taking place in our society become - like global warming - irreversible.
'The Establishment' is a brilliant tool to support our thinking.
3 people found this helpful
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Tim Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Conspiracy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
The ultimate conspiracy book. The author attempts to define the shadowy 'Establishment' who control our political agenda and pretty much own the media, infusing our confused western societies with misinformation (popularised by Donald Trump as 'Fake News') aimed at keeping us in a constant state of doubt and fear. It's working all too well, and the gods of global capitalism seem to have us in a head lock. The subversion of our fragile western democracy is subtle, and the insidious hand of media censorship unseen - it makes me laugh that we look at Russia and say 'their democracy is fake and their media only pumps out government propaganda' when we are no better off - THEY just take more care to fool us. A very thought-provoking read that offers up few answers to our miserable plight. Is all we've got look forward to further erosion of our rights, liberties and earning power until we are rendered into a flock of low paid sheep, effectively slaves to the gods of capitalist exploitation? I'd leave, but where is there to go? Russia? This book will make you think...
20 people found this helpful
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Noddie
4.0 out of 5 stars Bitter medicine but no cure yet.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2014
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I was not previously aware of the author or his political views, and it took a chapter or two to conclude that he is a variety of British Noam Chomsky. Like Chomsky, he accuratly discerns and analyses what is wrong with the establishment but is short of constructive suggestions for remedying things, - short, that is, of a revolution, - and we all know how that would end up with just a different lot of self-interested power hogs.
I guess the real problem is people and the fact that they're not all selfless, altruistic, moral, ethical beings (like you and me!). So those sufficiently endowed with intelligence or money, land and socially privileged positions will always seek to screw the rest.
So whilst I couldn't fault the author's findings I was left deeply despondent about any possibility of doing anything about it. That doesn't mean that I don't reccommend you read it - we all should be made aware of how things stand so that just maybe in time and through evolutiionary change something better might emerge.
33 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The single most worthwhile thing I have ever read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 November 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I have been a fan of Owen Jones' journalism for some time, but I must admit, my initial reaction to 'the Establishment' with a capital 'E' brought to mind an image of a tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist who is convinced that we're being controlled by some secret, invisible cult. My advice would be to anyone who might have the same impressions from the first few pages: for God's sake, read on.
The contents of this book are not speculative. They are not untested hypotheses designed to inspire paranoia and distrust in those who are already sceptical about the powers that be. Jones goes through a series of undeniable, documented and sourced examples of how this 'Establishment' affects our lives and often shifts the blame elsewhere. These examples are woven together to form a quite startling tapestry of an entire reality that becomes very difficult to argue with.
The 'Establishment' is not an organised collection of pantomime villains who meet up in dimly-lit committee rooms to decide how to stomp ordinary people that bit further into the ground. If that's what you want to believe, there are other books that will suit your fancy far more. It'll be your loss, however; I'm certain that the world would be a better place if everyone gave this a read.
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bettyparry
5.0 out of 5 stars RANTLESS
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2014
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Ive read several books over the last few months including LIFE AFTER LIFE by Atkinson, and Meek's PRIVATE ISLAND. I gave the former 3stars and the latter 5stars. The problem i now have is that this book needs 10stars going by those ratings. I get the impression from the 1star reviews that theyd like to give it -10stars. On page 180/1 I.D.Smith on QUESTION TIME "he snarled WE'VE HEARD A LOT FROM YOU", in response to what Jones made to him over ATOS. This strikes me very similar to the 1stars ie. there's no constructive critique or in-depth analysis destroying the arguments he's putting forward. Their arguments against are that he is from the middle class background that he criticises, so by definition he shouldn't be able to. Or, this is just a left-wing rant, whereas it is a very obviously an understated, calm and reasoned narrative.
Another attack is that he is a conspiracy theorist ie. circumstantial stuff adding up to little. The truth is that the book is riddled with statistics and quotes which is evidence not conjecture. Another attack is that he merely rehashes other authors books. I wish these objectors would quote who they are cos ive not come across them even though i devour books.
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기득권층 - 세상을 농락하는 먹튀의 귀재들
오언 존스 (지은이),조은혜 (옮긴이)북인더갭2017-03-30
원제 : The Establishment
미리보기
편집장의 선택
"이제 판 뒤집혔다!"
기득권층이란 제목을 보자마자 분노가 끓어오른다면 잠시 숨을 고르기 바란다.(물론 나도 그랬다.) 그들이 정말 파렴치한 악당일 수도 있겠지만(아닐 리가 있겠는가.), 악당이라 지목당했다고 부끄러워하며 권력의 뒤안길로 숨거나 챙겨둔 자본을 꺼내놓고 도망칠 리도 없으니(그렇다면 악당도 아니지 않겠는가.), 악당 개인을 지목하여 면박을 주는 일에 그치지 말고, 그들이 망쳐놓은 민주주의를 회복하고 진전시킬 방안을 모색하여 분노의 적체를 해소할 계기를 만들어 보지 않겠는가 말이다.
전작 <차브>에서 하층계급에 대한 협오가 확대재생산되는 구조를 파헤친 오언 존스는, 이번에는 시선을 위로 옮겨 기득권층을 매섭게 분석한다. 영국 사회에서 이들의 이론적 토대가 어떻게 형성되었고, 이를 바탕으로 자본과 권력을 어떻게 결합시켰고, 이를 지키려 자신들을 어떻게 합리화하는지를 차례로 파헤치는데, 구체적인 사례를 읽다 보면 이름만 영국이지 한국과 판박이라는 사실에 혀를 차게 된다. 최근 한국에서는 최대 자본가와 최고 권력자가 연이어 구속되며 기득권층도 넘어질 수 있다는 사실을 확인했으나 안심은 금물이다. 앞서도 강조했지만 기득권층은 악당 한두 명의 문제가 아니다. 이윤의 사유화와 손실의 사회화 그리고 이를 잇는 민주주의 파괴가 문제의 핵심이니, 이제 위협받는 쪽은 민주주의가 아니라 기득권층이 되어야 한다. 어쩌면 지금이 판이 바뀌는 때인지도 모르겠다.
- 사회과학 MD 박태근 (2017.04.07)
책소개
2011년 <차브>를 펴내 세계적인 조명을 받았던 오언 존스의 두번째 책이다. 엄청난 권력을 가지고 막대한 이권을 챙기는 사람들의 네트워크를 파헤친 이 책에서 저자는 우리가 말로만 듣던 기득권층의 실상을 낱낱이 고발한다. 기득권층이 하나의 정치적 화두로 떠오른 지금, 오늘날 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력자들의 발생과정과 그들이 끼치는 정치경제적 폐해를 새로운 시각으로 날카롭게 진단하며, 이에 맞설 민주적 대안을 제시하고 있다.
기득권이 무엇이냐고 묻는다면, 대답이 잘 떠오르지 않는다. 문제는 우리가 기득권의 실체에 대해 무지할수록 기득권층에겐 이득이라는 점이다. 저자는 기득권층을 다음과 같이 정의내린다. 그들은 한마디로 권력을 가진 소수집단이다. 다시 말해 다수에 맞서 자신들의 이익을 지키려는 자들, 즉 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력집단이 바로 기득권층이다. 영국과 마찬가지로, 너무도 오랫동안 기득권층의 지배에 시달려온 대한민국 독자들에게도 이 책은 의미있는 도전이 될 것이며, 저항의 의지와 희망 또한 전해줄 것이다.
목차
감사의 말
들어가며
1. 선동자들
2. 정치인 카르텔
3. 언론귀족의 힘
4. 민중의 지팡이?
5. 국가에 빨대 꽂기
6. 갑부와 세금포탈범들
7. 우주의 지배자
8. 주권이라는 환상
결론: 민주혁명을 위하여
주(註)
옮긴이의 말
찾아보기
추천글
우리를 지배하는 자들에 대한 혹독한 비판
- 더 가디언
이 시대의 집단적 분노를 제대로 일깨운 책
- 옵저버
눈이 번쩍 뜨일 정도로 탁월하다
- 뉴 스테이츠먼 (영국 시사 주간지)
소수를 위해 다수가 희생되는 현상을 파헤친 중요한 책
- 허핑턴 포스트
오언 존스는 하나의 정치적 현상이다!
- 런던 리뷰 오브 북스
저자 및 역자소개
오언 존스 (Owen Jones) (지은이)
저자파일
신간알림 신청
1984년 영국 셰필드에서 태어나 그레이터맨체스터주(州) 스톡포트에서 자랐다. 옥스퍼드대학에서 역사학을 공부했으며 노동당 연구원, 노동조합 활동가로 일했다. 2011년 하층계급의 현실을 파헤친 『차브』(Chavs)를 펴내 『가디언』 『뉴욕 타임스』 등에서 최고의 정치학 도서로 평가되면서 명성을 얻었다. 두번째 책 『기득권층』(The Establishment)은 정치인, 기업인, 언론인 등 최상류층의 커넥션과 그들의 부패한 실상을 파헤쳐 『옵저버』 『가디언』 『뉴 스테이츠먼』 등에서 올해의 책에 선정되면서 다시 한번 큰 화제를 불러일으켰다. 현재 『가디언』의 칼럼니스트로 있으면서 BBC 등에 정치평론가로 출현하고 있다.
접기
최근작 : <기득권층>,<차브 - 영국식 잉여 유발사건> … 총 136종 (모두보기)
조은혜 (옮긴이)
저자파일
신간알림 신청
대학과 대학원에서 윤리교육학과 철학을 전공했다. 비교문학 박사과정을 수료했다. 휴머니즘에 대한 깊은 관심과 사랑을 가진 포스트휴머니스트로, 문학을 기반으로 관련 연구와 집필을 지속하고 있다. 옮긴 책으로 《젠더 무법자》(케이트 본스타인), 《기득권층》(오언 존스), 《이 시대와 맞서 싸우기 위해》(롭 리멘)가 있다.
출판사 소개
북인더갭
도서 모두보기
신간알림 신청
출판사 제공 책소개
2011년 하층계급의 현실을 파헤친 『차브』를 펴내 세계적인 조명을 받았던 오언 존스가 두번째 책 『기득권층』으로 다시 독자들을 만난다. 엄청난 권력을 가지고 막대한 이권을 챙기는 사람들의 네트워크를 파헤친 이 책에서 저자는 우리가 말로만 듣던 기득권층의 실상을 낱낱이 고발한다. 기득권층이 하나의 정치적 화두로 떠오른 지금, 이 책은 오늘날 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력자들의 발생과정과 그들이 끼치는 정치경제적 폐해를 새로운 시각으로 날카롭게 진단하며, 이에 맞설 민주적 대안을 제시하고 있다.
기득권층이 도대체 무어냐?
금수저가 흔하게 거론되는 요즘 누구나 기득권층을 이야기한다. 이른바 최순실 사태에서 비롯된 탄핵정국에서도 ‘기득권’이라는 말은 가장 흔하게 정치인들의 입에 오르내렸다. 그러나 도대체 기득권이 무엇이냐고 묻는다면, 대답이 잘 떠오르지 않는다. 문제는 우리가 기득권의 실체에 대해 무지할수록 기득권층에겐 이득이라는 점이다. 저자는 기득권층을 다음과 같이 정의내린다. 그들은 한마디로 권력을 가진 소수집단이다. 다시 말해 다수에 맞서 자신들의 이익을 지키려는 자들, 즉 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력집단이 바로 기득권층이다.
이 소수 기득권층의 뿌리에는 지난 30년간 다수의 권력을 체계적으로 최상층에 재분배하는 데 앞장서온 우익 이론가들이 있었다. 저자가 선동자들(The Outriders)라고 부르는 이들은 70년대 초만 해도 아무도 거들떠보지 않는 소수 이론가들이었다. 하이에크(F. Hayek)로 대변되는 이들 자유방임주의 이론가들은 ‘부자감세’ ‘규제철폐’ ‘민영화’ 등을 외치며 전후에 합의된 사회민주주의 체제를 부정하다 대처리즘-레이거노믹스를 거치며 확고한 이데올로그로 자리잡았다. 초기 선동자들의 영향으로 태어난 애덤스미스연구소나 헤리티지재단 같은 자유주의 싱크탱크들은 보수파 사업가들에게 자금지원을 받으며 자유시장 이념을 전파했으며 국가와 공공지출의 의미를 악마화하는 데 앞장서왔다. 가령 영국의 납세자동맹 같은 단체는 납세자 권익을 옹호한다는 탈을 썼으나 실은 복지기금이나 노조전임자를 공격함으로써 기득권층의 이익을 대변한다. 이는 마치 우리의 전경련이나 어버이연합 같은 단체가 그 이름과는 상관없는 기득권 옹호 단체인 것과 비슷하다. 그러나 선동자들은 그저 사업가를 옹호하는 냉소적인 돌팔이가 아니다. 선동자들은 흔들림없는 자유주의 신념을 가지고 일하며, 바로 이 신념이 사업가들을 사로잡아 돈을 내도록 이끈다. 이처럼 현재 정치적으로 수용 가능한 논의들, 즉 ‘오버턴의 창’을 옮김으로써 선동자들은 원래는 불합리하다고 여겨진 민영화라든가 부자감세 같은 의제들을 건전한 상식이자 확고한 현실로 만들어냈다. (1장)
그러나 기득권층이 이처럼 신주단지 모시듯 떠받드는 ‘자유시장’은 환상에 근거하고 있음이 점점 드러나고 있다. 기득권층은 작은 정부, 적은 세금을 외쳐대지만 사실 이들의 기업은 엄청난 국가 부조(扶助)를 기반으로 운영된다. 가령, 구글의 검색엔진이나 GPS서비스조차 국가의 연구개발에 의지하며 도로, 항만, 철도 같은 기반시설 없이 기업은 아무것도 할 수 없다. 또한 기업에 필요한 노동자들은 국가의 교육으로 키워지며 세액공제, 주택보조금 같은 복지제도는 기업의 임금을 보전해준다. 무엇보다 스스로의 탐욕 때문에 무너진 기업에 제공된 엄청난 구제금융을 보라. 이는 부자와 기업이 필요할 때 국가가 언제든지 나서서 그들을 구제해주고 있음을 말해준다. 그럼에도 선동자들을 비롯한 자유방임주의자들은 부자 기업이 아니라, 최하층을 세금 낭비의 주범으로 몰고가기 일쑤다. 켄 로치의 영화 『나, 나니엘 블레이크』에서 묘사되듯이, 자신들에게 돌아가야 마땅할 분노를 푸드뱅크에서 먹을 것을 구해야 하는 이들에게 돌리는 기득권층의 작태는 끊이지 않고 이어진다. (5장, 7장)
부자를 위한 사회주의?
저자가 적절하게 묘사하듯, 이런 ‘부자들을 위한 사회주의’ 이면에는 기득권층의 커넥션이 존재한다. 그중 누구보다 끈끈한 이들은 바로 정치인들이다. 정치인들은 보통 기득권의 요구를 잘 알고 있으며 이를 정책에 반영한다. 이들은 최고소득에 붙는 세금을 깎아주고 대신 부자와 기업들로부터 엄청난 후원금을 챙긴다. 기업과의 거래를 통해 사익을 챙기는 영국 정치인들의 모습은 우리 탄핵된 대통령의 행태와 그리 다르지 않다. 또한 이런 기득권층의 생각에 약간만 어긋나는 정책을 취해도 심한 반발이 이어진다. 2013년 노동당 당수 에드 밀리밴드는 공영주택 건설, 법인세 인상, 연료비 동결 등을 공약했다가 ‘토지몰수에 나선 마르크스주의자’라는 기득권층의 비난을 받았다. 그러나 여론의 입장은 다르다. 유권자들은 연료비 동결은 물론 에너지산업의 국유화를 지지하며 부동산시장에 정부가 개입하기를 원한다. 그러나 실제 정치에서는 다수의 의견이 아닌, 소수 기득권층의 이익이 더 반영된다. 이미 기득권층의 사고방식이 정치를 장악하고 있기 때문이다. 회전문 인사는 문제를 더욱 악화시킨다. 정계의 많은 인물들이 기업인 출신이며, 정계 임기를 마치고 다시 기업으로 돌아가는 일이 비일비재하다. 그러니 정책에 기업의 이익이 더 많이 반영될 수밖에 없다. 정부의 복지부 수장이 국민연금을 움직여 대기업에 도움을 주고 다시 국민연금 이사장으로 발탁되는 것을 목격한 우리에게도 이런 회전문은 그리 낯선 일이 아니다. (2장)
이 와중에 언론은 애완용으로 비단뱀을 키우는 복지수급자 같은 극단적 사례를 수집하는 데 열을 올린다. 사실 언론은 독자들의 생각에 관심이 없다. 대부분의 언론은 정치적 동기를 가진 소수의 소유주가 지배하며, 언론의 행태는 그 소유주의 생각에 좌우된다. 세계적인 언론재벌 루퍼트 머독은 『선』지를 앞세워 1994년 노동당을 패배시켰으며, 보수당이 형편없이 망가지자 토니 블레어를 내세워 신노동당 정권 수립을 도왔다. 이제 기자라는 직업조차 특권층 일부에게만 개방되며, 기자가 된 후 이들이 만나는 사람도 거의 기득권층 일색이다. 언론계 인사들 역시 정치인들만큼이나 회전문을 통해 정계와 재계를 드나든다. 이렇게 기자들이 부유층 권력자와 사이좋게 지내니 언론이 현 상태의 유지에 기여하는 것은 어쩌면 당연한 일이라 하겠다. (3장)
국가에 귀속돼야 할 세금을 포탈하여 주머니를 채우는 일 또한 기득권층의 주특기라 할 만하다. 세계에는 기득권층을 위해 마련된 조세회피지가 널려 있으며 여기에 부자들의 재산이 은닉돼 있음은 이미 널리 알려진 사실이다. 최순실 같은 우리나라 기득권층 역시 해외에 엄청난 재산을 은닉했다는 의심을 받는 중이다. 대규모 의류도매체인을 운영하는 필립 그린 경 같은 사람들은 모나코에 거주하는 그의 부인 명의로 어마어마한 배당금을 빼돌려 세금을 절약한다. 스타벅스는 영국에서 번 이윤을 스위스로 돌리는 수법으로 법인세를 한푼도 내지 않았고 아마존이나 구글 같은 기업도 국외로 수익을 전송하는 방법으로 탈세에 가담한다. 회계법인이 주로 하는 일은 합법적 탈세로, 직원을 정부에 파견해 정보를 모은 다음 이 정보로 자기 고객들에게 탈세 서비스를 제공한다. 이는 결과적으로 국가의 공공서비스 공급을 유지하는 데 필요한 자금을 약탈하는 행위에 다름아니며 국가의 부조에 의지하면서도 세금만큼은 절대 내지 않겠다는 기득권층의 파렴치한 속내를 노골적으로 드러내는 행위다. (6장)
우주의 지배자들
기득권층은 미국을 사랑하며 항상 미국과의 특수관계만을 떠받든다. 그러나 이라크전 같은 전쟁에서 실제로 피를 흘리는 사람은 기득권층의 자제가 아니라 실직 상태의 노동계급 청년이다. 겉으로는 ‘피의 대가’를 외치지만 이라크는 각종 이권을 노리는 기득권층의 놀이터가 되었다. 그 잘난 ‘테러와의 전쟁’ 덕분에 영국 청년들은 별 혐의도 없이 범죄인으로 송환돼 미국 교도소에 구금당한다. 경찰 공권력은 지난 30년간 꾸준히 기득권층의 방패막이가 돼주었으며, 이는 잔인한 노조탄압과 민주시위에 대한 억압에서 빛을 발했다. 지난 1989년 축구장 사고로 96명의 생명을 앗아간 힐즈버러 참사는 공권력이 얼마나 무책임하게 사건을 왜곡하는지를 잘 보여준다. 결국 술취한 훌리건이 아니라, 경찰에게 사고책임이 있다는 사실이 밝혀지기까지는 무려 23년이 걸렸다. 공권력의 만행은 이것으로 끝나지 않았다. 심지어 영국 정보당국은 민주단체들의 비밀을 캐내기 위해 여성을 상대로 위장결혼을 감행하기도 했는데 이는 영국 사회의 엄청난 공분을 몰고왔다. (4장, 8장)
이처럼 70년대 선동가들의 이데올로기 투쟁에서 시작된 기득권층의 반민주적 권력은 이제 학계나 정계, 언론계, 금융계, 공권력을 가릴 것 없이 전 영역에 걸쳐 확고한 세력으로 성장했다. 그러나 저자는 지금이야말로 민주세력이 새로운 씨앗을 키워갈 때라고 주장한다. 아무도 알아주지 않는 소수 선동자들이 확고한 신념으로 세상을 자기네 것으로 만들었듯이, 이제 민주단체와 노동조합, 반체제경제학자들이 힘을 모아 우리의 선동자들을 만들어내야 한다. 반노조법을 개혁해 노조가 다시 숨을 쉬게 해야 하며, 각 노동현장에서 민주적 목소리를 내도록 해야 한다. 민영화 대신 민주적 공영화를 이루고 경제가 금융계의 지배에서 벗어날 수 있도록 국가가 현대적 제조업을 육성해야 한다. 저자는 ‘권력은 요구 없이 그 무엇도 내주지 않는다’는 말로 이 책을 마무리한다. 역사가 그저 소수의 영웅놀이가 아니듯, 이제 세계는 이해를 같이하는 사람들의 집단적 힘으로 사회정의를 이뤄나가야 한다.
영국과 마찬가지로, 너무도 오랫동안 기득권층의 지배에 시달려온 대한민국 독자들에게도 이 책은 의미있는 도전이 될 것이며, 저항의 의지와 희망 또한 전해줄 것이다. 접기
책을 읽는 내내 영국 이야기가 아니라 우리나라 이야기라는 생각이 듭니다. 특히 힐즈버러 참사 부분에선 우리의 세월호를 떠올리게 되네요.넘나 아껴가며 읽는 중입니다!!!!!!
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기득권층
"차브"에 이은 오언 존스의 두번째 책이다. 노동계급을 악마화하면서 자신들의 이해를 극대화시키고 있는 기득권층을 조명하고 있다. 자유시장을 강고하게 심은 선각자 하이에크로부터 매드슨 피리까지 그리고 애덤스미스연구소를 필두로 우익 싱크탱크들의 견고한 논리와 지속적이고도 끊임없는 설득으로 주류의 관점을 바꾸는 오버턴의 창을 옮겨버렸다.
언론인도 이미 강력한 언론재벌 머독제국이 움직이는대로 정치인과 내부적 로비를 하면서, 정작 대다수의 국민의 이익보다 기업의 이윤과 정치인의 후원금과 이후 자리만 생각하는 회전문 인사가 이어지고 있다. 그 속에서 경찰은 권력의 뒷치닥거리를 하고 이젠 사냥을 마치고난 개 신세가 되고 있다.
민영화라는 허울 속에 사명감이나 소명 또는 봉사정신은 온데없이 오직 이윤만을 위해 위탁계약을 맺고서 공공서비스 질은 한없이 내려가서 국가의 예산에 빨대를 꽂아 먹는 형국이었다. 일정정도 시간이 흐른 이후로는, 국가가 직영하기보다 비용마저 훨씬 더 들고 책임도 완수하지 못해서 고스란히 그 피해는 국민이 감수해야한다.
한편 런던금융가는 2008년 금융위기에서 공적구제를 받았지만 국민을 위해 존재하지 않고 자기 배만 채우고 보수당 정부마저 긴축을 감행하면서 국민은 부담과 책임을 모두 지게 되버렸다.
이제 이러한 기득권층에 대항하여 견고한 논리와 대다수의 국민이 좌절과 포기를 넘어 계속적인 참여와 지속적인 감시를 통해 새로운 전망을 만들어가자고 저자는 주장한다. 여기에 주요한 대안세력으로 대처가 무참히 밟았던 노동조합의 강화를 제시하고 있다.
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좋은이웃 2017-06-22 공감(1) 댓글(0)
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"이제 판 뒤집혔다!"
기득권층이란 제목을 보자마자 분노가 끓어오른다면 잠시 숨을 고르기 바란다.(물론 나도 그랬다.) 그들이 정말 파렴치한 악당일 수도 있겠지만(아닐 리가 있겠는가.), 악당이라 지목당했다고 부끄러워하며 권력의 뒤안길로 숨거나 챙겨둔 자본을 꺼내놓고 도망칠 리도 없으니(그렇다면 악당도 아니지 않겠는가.), 악당 개인을 지목하여 면박을 주는 일에 그치지 말고, 그들이 망쳐놓은 민주주의를 회복하고 진전시킬 방안을 모색하여 분노의 적체를 해소할 계기를 만들어 보지 않겠는가 말이다.
전작 <차브>에서 하층계급에 대한 협오가 확대재생산되는 구조를 파헤친 오언 존스는, 이번에는 시선을 위로 옮겨 기득권층을 매섭게 분석한다. 영국 사회에서 이들의 이론적 토대가 어떻게 형성되었고, 이를 바탕으로 자본과 권력을 어떻게 결합시켰고, 이를 지키려 자신들을 어떻게 합리화하는지를 차례로 파헤치는데, 구체적인 사례를 읽다 보면 이름만 영국이지 한국과 판박이라는 사실에 혀를 차게 된다. 최근 한국에서는 최대 자본가와 최고 권력자가 연이어 구속되며 기득권층도 넘어질 수 있다는 사실을 확인했으나 안심은 금물이다. 앞서도 강조했지만 기득권층은 악당 한두 명의 문제가 아니다. 이윤의 사유화와 손실의 사회화 그리고 이를 잇는 민주주의 파괴가 문제의 핵심이니, 이제 위협받는 쪽은 민주주의가 아니라 기득권층이 되어야 한다. 어쩌면 지금이 판이 바뀌는 때인지도 모르겠다.
- 사회과학 MD 박태근 (2017.04.07)
책소개
2011년 <차브>를 펴내 세계적인 조명을 받았던 오언 존스의 두번째 책이다. 엄청난 권력을 가지고 막대한 이권을 챙기는 사람들의 네트워크를 파헤친 이 책에서 저자는 우리가 말로만 듣던 기득권층의 실상을 낱낱이 고발한다. 기득권층이 하나의 정치적 화두로 떠오른 지금, 오늘날 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력자들의 발생과정과 그들이 끼치는 정치경제적 폐해를 새로운 시각으로 날카롭게 진단하며, 이에 맞설 민주적 대안을 제시하고 있다.
기득권이 무엇이냐고 묻는다면, 대답이 잘 떠오르지 않는다. 문제는 우리가 기득권의 실체에 대해 무지할수록 기득권층에겐 이득이라는 점이다. 저자는 기득권층을 다음과 같이 정의내린다. 그들은 한마디로 권력을 가진 소수집단이다. 다시 말해 다수에 맞서 자신들의 이익을 지키려는 자들, 즉 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력집단이 바로 기득권층이다. 영국과 마찬가지로, 너무도 오랫동안 기득권층의 지배에 시달려온 대한민국 독자들에게도 이 책은 의미있는 도전이 될 것이며, 저항의 의지와 희망 또한 전해줄 것이다.
목차
감사의 말
들어가며
1. 선동자들
2. 정치인 카르텔
3. 언론귀족의 힘
4. 민중의 지팡이?
5. 국가에 빨대 꽂기
6. 갑부와 세금포탈범들
7. 우주의 지배자
8. 주권이라는 환상
결론: 민주혁명을 위하여
주(註)
옮긴이의 말
찾아보기
추천글
우리를 지배하는 자들에 대한 혹독한 비판
- 더 가디언
이 시대의 집단적 분노를 제대로 일깨운 책
- 옵저버
눈이 번쩍 뜨일 정도로 탁월하다
- 뉴 스테이츠먼 (영국 시사 주간지)
소수를 위해 다수가 희생되는 현상을 파헤친 중요한 책
- 허핑턴 포스트
오언 존스는 하나의 정치적 현상이다!
- 런던 리뷰 오브 북스
저자 및 역자소개
오언 존스 (Owen Jones) (지은이)
저자파일
신간알림 신청
1984년 영국 셰필드에서 태어나 그레이터맨체스터주(州) 스톡포트에서 자랐다. 옥스퍼드대학에서 역사학을 공부했으며 노동당 연구원, 노동조합 활동가로 일했다. 2011년 하층계급의 현실을 파헤친 『차브』(Chavs)를 펴내 『가디언』 『뉴욕 타임스』 등에서 최고의 정치학 도서로 평가되면서 명성을 얻었다. 두번째 책 『기득권층』(The Establishment)은 정치인, 기업인, 언론인 등 최상류층의 커넥션과 그들의 부패한 실상을 파헤쳐 『옵저버』 『가디언』 『뉴 스테이츠먼』 등에서 올해의 책에 선정되면서 다시 한번 큰 화제를 불러일으켰다. 현재 『가디언』의 칼럼니스트로 있으면서 BBC 등에 정치평론가로 출현하고 있다.
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최근작 : <기득권층>,<차브 - 영국식 잉여 유발사건> … 총 136종 (모두보기)
조은혜 (옮긴이)
저자파일
신간알림 신청
대학과 대학원에서 윤리교육학과 철학을 전공했다. 비교문학 박사과정을 수료했다. 휴머니즘에 대한 깊은 관심과 사랑을 가진 포스트휴머니스트로, 문학을 기반으로 관련 연구와 집필을 지속하고 있다. 옮긴 책으로 《젠더 무법자》(케이트 본스타인), 《기득권층》(오언 존스), 《이 시대와 맞서 싸우기 위해》(롭 리멘)가 있다.
출판사 소개
북인더갭
도서 모두보기
신간알림 신청
출판사 제공 책소개
2011년 하층계급의 현실을 파헤친 『차브』를 펴내 세계적인 조명을 받았던 오언 존스가 두번째 책 『기득권층』으로 다시 독자들을 만난다. 엄청난 권력을 가지고 막대한 이권을 챙기는 사람들의 네트워크를 파헤친 이 책에서 저자는 우리가 말로만 듣던 기득권층의 실상을 낱낱이 고발한다. 기득권층이 하나의 정치적 화두로 떠오른 지금, 이 책은 오늘날 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력자들의 발생과정과 그들이 끼치는 정치경제적 폐해를 새로운 시각으로 날카롭게 진단하며, 이에 맞설 민주적 대안을 제시하고 있다.
기득권층이 도대체 무어냐?
금수저가 흔하게 거론되는 요즘 누구나 기득권층을 이야기한다. 이른바 최순실 사태에서 비롯된 탄핵정국에서도 ‘기득권’이라는 말은 가장 흔하게 정치인들의 입에 오르내렸다. 그러나 도대체 기득권이 무엇이냐고 묻는다면, 대답이 잘 떠오르지 않는다. 문제는 우리가 기득권의 실체에 대해 무지할수록 기득권층에겐 이득이라는 점이다. 저자는 기득권층을 다음과 같이 정의내린다. 그들은 한마디로 권력을 가진 소수집단이다. 다시 말해 다수에 맞서 자신들의 이익을 지키려는 자들, 즉 민주주의를 위협하는 소수 권력집단이 바로 기득권층이다.
이 소수 기득권층의 뿌리에는 지난 30년간 다수의 권력을 체계적으로 최상층에 재분배하는 데 앞장서온 우익 이론가들이 있었다. 저자가 선동자들(The Outriders)라고 부르는 이들은 70년대 초만 해도 아무도 거들떠보지 않는 소수 이론가들이었다. 하이에크(F. Hayek)로 대변되는 이들 자유방임주의 이론가들은 ‘부자감세’ ‘규제철폐’ ‘민영화’ 등을 외치며 전후에 합의된 사회민주주의 체제를 부정하다 대처리즘-레이거노믹스를 거치며 확고한 이데올로그로 자리잡았다. 초기 선동자들의 영향으로 태어난 애덤스미스연구소나 헤리티지재단 같은 자유주의 싱크탱크들은 보수파 사업가들에게 자금지원을 받으며 자유시장 이념을 전파했으며 국가와 공공지출의 의미를 악마화하는 데 앞장서왔다. 가령 영국의 납세자동맹 같은 단체는 납세자 권익을 옹호한다는 탈을 썼으나 실은 복지기금이나 노조전임자를 공격함으로써 기득권층의 이익을 대변한다. 이는 마치 우리의 전경련이나 어버이연합 같은 단체가 그 이름과는 상관없는 기득권 옹호 단체인 것과 비슷하다. 그러나 선동자들은 그저 사업가를 옹호하는 냉소적인 돌팔이가 아니다. 선동자들은 흔들림없는 자유주의 신념을 가지고 일하며, 바로 이 신념이 사업가들을 사로잡아 돈을 내도록 이끈다. 이처럼 현재 정치적으로 수용 가능한 논의들, 즉 ‘오버턴의 창’을 옮김으로써 선동자들은 원래는 불합리하다고 여겨진 민영화라든가 부자감세 같은 의제들을 건전한 상식이자 확고한 현실로 만들어냈다. (1장)
그러나 기득권층이 이처럼 신주단지 모시듯 떠받드는 ‘자유시장’은 환상에 근거하고 있음이 점점 드러나고 있다. 기득권층은 작은 정부, 적은 세금을 외쳐대지만 사실 이들의 기업은 엄청난 국가 부조(扶助)를 기반으로 운영된다. 가령, 구글의 검색엔진이나 GPS서비스조차 국가의 연구개발에 의지하며 도로, 항만, 철도 같은 기반시설 없이 기업은 아무것도 할 수 없다. 또한 기업에 필요한 노동자들은 국가의 교육으로 키워지며 세액공제, 주택보조금 같은 복지제도는 기업의 임금을 보전해준다. 무엇보다 스스로의 탐욕 때문에 무너진 기업에 제공된 엄청난 구제금융을 보라. 이는 부자와 기업이 필요할 때 국가가 언제든지 나서서 그들을 구제해주고 있음을 말해준다. 그럼에도 선동자들을 비롯한 자유방임주의자들은 부자 기업이 아니라, 최하층을 세금 낭비의 주범으로 몰고가기 일쑤다. 켄 로치의 영화 『나, 나니엘 블레이크』에서 묘사되듯이, 자신들에게 돌아가야 마땅할 분노를 푸드뱅크에서 먹을 것을 구해야 하는 이들에게 돌리는 기득권층의 작태는 끊이지 않고 이어진다. (5장, 7장)
부자를 위한 사회주의?
저자가 적절하게 묘사하듯, 이런 ‘부자들을 위한 사회주의’ 이면에는 기득권층의 커넥션이 존재한다. 그중 누구보다 끈끈한 이들은 바로 정치인들이다. 정치인들은 보통 기득권의 요구를 잘 알고 있으며 이를 정책에 반영한다. 이들은 최고소득에 붙는 세금을 깎아주고 대신 부자와 기업들로부터 엄청난 후원금을 챙긴다. 기업과의 거래를 통해 사익을 챙기는 영국 정치인들의 모습은 우리 탄핵된 대통령의 행태와 그리 다르지 않다. 또한 이런 기득권층의 생각에 약간만 어긋나는 정책을 취해도 심한 반발이 이어진다. 2013년 노동당 당수 에드 밀리밴드는 공영주택 건설, 법인세 인상, 연료비 동결 등을 공약했다가 ‘토지몰수에 나선 마르크스주의자’라는 기득권층의 비난을 받았다. 그러나 여론의 입장은 다르다. 유권자들은 연료비 동결은 물론 에너지산업의 국유화를 지지하며 부동산시장에 정부가 개입하기를 원한다. 그러나 실제 정치에서는 다수의 의견이 아닌, 소수 기득권층의 이익이 더 반영된다. 이미 기득권층의 사고방식이 정치를 장악하고 있기 때문이다. 회전문 인사는 문제를 더욱 악화시킨다. 정계의 많은 인물들이 기업인 출신이며, 정계 임기를 마치고 다시 기업으로 돌아가는 일이 비일비재하다. 그러니 정책에 기업의 이익이 더 많이 반영될 수밖에 없다. 정부의 복지부 수장이 국민연금을 움직여 대기업에 도움을 주고 다시 국민연금 이사장으로 발탁되는 것을 목격한 우리에게도 이런 회전문은 그리 낯선 일이 아니다. (2장)
이 와중에 언론은 애완용으로 비단뱀을 키우는 복지수급자 같은 극단적 사례를 수집하는 데 열을 올린다. 사실 언론은 독자들의 생각에 관심이 없다. 대부분의 언론은 정치적 동기를 가진 소수의 소유주가 지배하며, 언론의 행태는 그 소유주의 생각에 좌우된다. 세계적인 언론재벌 루퍼트 머독은 『선』지를 앞세워 1994년 노동당을 패배시켰으며, 보수당이 형편없이 망가지자 토니 블레어를 내세워 신노동당 정권 수립을 도왔다. 이제 기자라는 직업조차 특권층 일부에게만 개방되며, 기자가 된 후 이들이 만나는 사람도 거의 기득권층 일색이다. 언론계 인사들 역시 정치인들만큼이나 회전문을 통해 정계와 재계를 드나든다. 이렇게 기자들이 부유층 권력자와 사이좋게 지내니 언론이 현 상태의 유지에 기여하는 것은 어쩌면 당연한 일이라 하겠다. (3장)
국가에 귀속돼야 할 세금을 포탈하여 주머니를 채우는 일 또한 기득권층의 주특기라 할 만하다. 세계에는 기득권층을 위해 마련된 조세회피지가 널려 있으며 여기에 부자들의 재산이 은닉돼 있음은 이미 널리 알려진 사실이다. 최순실 같은 우리나라 기득권층 역시 해외에 엄청난 재산을 은닉했다는 의심을 받는 중이다. 대규모 의류도매체인을 운영하는 필립 그린 경 같은 사람들은 모나코에 거주하는 그의 부인 명의로 어마어마한 배당금을 빼돌려 세금을 절약한다. 스타벅스는 영국에서 번 이윤을 스위스로 돌리는 수법으로 법인세를 한푼도 내지 않았고 아마존이나 구글 같은 기업도 국외로 수익을 전송하는 방법으로 탈세에 가담한다. 회계법인이 주로 하는 일은 합법적 탈세로, 직원을 정부에 파견해 정보를 모은 다음 이 정보로 자기 고객들에게 탈세 서비스를 제공한다. 이는 결과적으로 국가의 공공서비스 공급을 유지하는 데 필요한 자금을 약탈하는 행위에 다름아니며 국가의 부조에 의지하면서도 세금만큼은 절대 내지 않겠다는 기득권층의 파렴치한 속내를 노골적으로 드러내는 행위다. (6장)
우주의 지배자들
기득권층은 미국을 사랑하며 항상 미국과의 특수관계만을 떠받든다. 그러나 이라크전 같은 전쟁에서 실제로 피를 흘리는 사람은 기득권층의 자제가 아니라 실직 상태의 노동계급 청년이다. 겉으로는 ‘피의 대가’를 외치지만 이라크는 각종 이권을 노리는 기득권층의 놀이터가 되었다. 그 잘난 ‘테러와의 전쟁’ 덕분에 영국 청년들은 별 혐의도 없이 범죄인으로 송환돼 미국 교도소에 구금당한다. 경찰 공권력은 지난 30년간 꾸준히 기득권층의 방패막이가 돼주었으며, 이는 잔인한 노조탄압과 민주시위에 대한 억압에서 빛을 발했다. 지난 1989년 축구장 사고로 96명의 생명을 앗아간 힐즈버러 참사는 공권력이 얼마나 무책임하게 사건을 왜곡하는지를 잘 보여준다. 결국 술취한 훌리건이 아니라, 경찰에게 사고책임이 있다는 사실이 밝혀지기까지는 무려 23년이 걸렸다. 공권력의 만행은 이것으로 끝나지 않았다. 심지어 영국 정보당국은 민주단체들의 비밀을 캐내기 위해 여성을 상대로 위장결혼을 감행하기도 했는데 이는 영국 사회의 엄청난 공분을 몰고왔다. (4장, 8장)
이처럼 70년대 선동가들의 이데올로기 투쟁에서 시작된 기득권층의 반민주적 권력은 이제 학계나 정계, 언론계, 금융계, 공권력을 가릴 것 없이 전 영역에 걸쳐 확고한 세력으로 성장했다. 그러나 저자는 지금이야말로 민주세력이 새로운 씨앗을 키워갈 때라고 주장한다. 아무도 알아주지 않는 소수 선동자들이 확고한 신념으로 세상을 자기네 것으로 만들었듯이, 이제 민주단체와 노동조합, 반체제경제학자들이 힘을 모아 우리의 선동자들을 만들어내야 한다. 반노조법을 개혁해 노조가 다시 숨을 쉬게 해야 하며, 각 노동현장에서 민주적 목소리를 내도록 해야 한다. 민영화 대신 민주적 공영화를 이루고 경제가 금융계의 지배에서 벗어날 수 있도록 국가가 현대적 제조업을 육성해야 한다. 저자는 ‘권력은 요구 없이 그 무엇도 내주지 않는다’는 말로 이 책을 마무리한다. 역사가 그저 소수의 영웅놀이가 아니듯, 이제 세계는 이해를 같이하는 사람들의 집단적 힘으로 사회정의를 이뤄나가야 한다.
영국과 마찬가지로, 너무도 오랫동안 기득권층의 지배에 시달려온 대한민국 독자들에게도 이 책은 의미있는 도전이 될 것이며, 저항의 의지와 희망 또한 전해줄 것이다. 접기
책을 읽는 내내 영국 이야기가 아니라 우리나라 이야기라는 생각이 듭니다. 특히 힐즈버러 참사 부분에선 우리의 세월호를 떠올리게 되네요.넘나 아껴가며 읽는 중입니다!!!!!!
평범맘 2017-04-10 공감 (4) 댓글 (0)
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라랄라 2017-04-08 공감 (3) 댓글 (1)
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기득권층
"차브"에 이은 오언 존스의 두번째 책이다. 노동계급을 악마화하면서 자신들의 이해를 극대화시키고 있는 기득권층을 조명하고 있다. 자유시장을 강고하게 심은 선각자 하이에크로부터 매드슨 피리까지 그리고 애덤스미스연구소를 필두로 우익 싱크탱크들의 견고한 논리와 지속적이고도 끊임없는 설득으로 주류의 관점을 바꾸는 오버턴의 창을 옮겨버렸다.
언론인도 이미 강력한 언론재벌 머독제국이 움직이는대로 정치인과 내부적 로비를 하면서, 정작 대다수의 국민의 이익보다 기업의 이윤과 정치인의 후원금과 이후 자리만 생각하는 회전문 인사가 이어지고 있다. 그 속에서 경찰은 권력의 뒷치닥거리를 하고 이젠 사냥을 마치고난 개 신세가 되고 있다.
민영화라는 허울 속에 사명감이나 소명 또는 봉사정신은 온데없이 오직 이윤만을 위해 위탁계약을 맺고서 공공서비스 질은 한없이 내려가서 국가의 예산에 빨대를 꽂아 먹는 형국이었다. 일정정도 시간이 흐른 이후로는, 국가가 직영하기보다 비용마저 훨씬 더 들고 책임도 완수하지 못해서 고스란히 그 피해는 국민이 감수해야한다.
한편 런던금융가는 2008년 금융위기에서 공적구제를 받았지만 국민을 위해 존재하지 않고 자기 배만 채우고 보수당 정부마저 긴축을 감행하면서 국민은 부담과 책임을 모두 지게 되버렸다.
이제 이러한 기득권층에 대항하여 견고한 논리와 대다수의 국민이 좌절과 포기를 넘어 계속적인 참여와 지속적인 감시를 통해 새로운 전망을 만들어가자고 저자는 주장한다. 여기에 주요한 대안세력으로 대처가 무참히 밟았던 노동조합의 강화를 제시하고 있다.
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좋은이웃 2017-06-22 공감(1) 댓글(0)
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