Most people are confused about what is the State and how it is different from the Establishment.
The State is a country, its government and its governance. The Establishment, though, is an entirely different entity that, although technically not existing, is very real and generally does not work for the benefit of citizens but for its members.
The State is a country, its government and its governance. The Establishment, though, is an entirely different entity that, although technically not existing, is very real and generally does not work for the benefit of citizens but for its members.
The phrase "The Establishment" is believed to have been first coined around 1955 but as a recognisable entity has existed since the beginning of the 17th Century. It reached its height at the end of the 19th Century and has been refining itself ever since becoming all powerful to engross every aspect of our lives.
There are many common links between The State and The Establishment, with probably a third of the latter controlling most of the former directly. These days the constituent parts of The State cannot operate without the express permission, facilitation and enablement of The Establishment.
The Establishment is all about power. control, wealth and above all self interest. The continuity, growth and reach is the driving force. But it also allows and encourages the worse flaws and outrageous behaviour of human nature to flourish with impunity.
The Establishment's power is in making sure you and I are unaware of its presence, existence and reach; or in the cases where people are suspicious of its possible presence or influence cover it up.
Unlike other organisations of state or business most people can join the Establishment and the majority do so unwittingly. All they have to do is conform. That is where the power of the Establishment lies; its army of the unwitting.
The average person's default position is self preservation by conformity. When someone appears to be bucking the system others around will look to protect themselves by closing ranks. That is why whistle-blowers find it almost impossible to pursue their concerns and in many cases continue their careers. For all the fine words that governments adore spouting about their wish to protect whistle-blowers they have repeatedly demonstrated their continued unwillingness to really do anything because the truth can hurt people right up to the very top.
One of the Establishment's main aims is to keep the majority down and in the dark and nowhere does this happen better at present than regarding taxation and welfare. If the electorate realised the extent of the sale of influence within government there may well be a groundswell of dissatisfaction in mainstream politics and the State.
Every Whitehall department has its fiefdom of contracts and subsidises that it can hand out. Each fiefdom is jealously fought over by their secretaries of stake to retain or grow their share of the overall pot.
We are continuously told of the need to control and reduce welfare spending. The emphasis is always on fraud by welfare claimants. In every case it is poor, sick and disabled people who are targeted because they are least likely to be able to fight back. They are disenfranchised in the real sense thereby losing the ability to even use the ballot box as their last line of defence. Most of the Establishment has gathered round to help the government in their war against the unfortunate and those in need of help.
But the ballot box will change little. The Establishment will remain on course with its aims and all mainstream political parties have no plans to really bring in ground breaking change. The poor and unfortunate of Britain will still be under siege by the State even if the Labour party or Liberal Democrats were to win overall power. Once in power whether at parish council or government level politicians will immediately start to separate themselves from the electorate almost to the point of holding a scented handkerchief under their noses. The longer they remain in power the greater the divide becomes as election promises are constantly broken and the inertia of the State and Establishment sets in. The furniture is rearranged a bit getting scratched and damaged in the process.
Where else can one find organisations co-opted to departments to review potential contracts that will ultimately be awarded to their clients because of the inside information gathered other than within government. In the process department heads will walk through revolving doors to work for the very corporations they awarded the lucrative contracts too. Secretaries of state, ministers and their families are awarded directorships and consultancies at the earliest possible moment once they are no longer in power.
When in power they travel to exotic locations, staying at the finest hotels and dining at the best restaurants at taxpayer expense. At home they suffer the strain of receptions and parties. Even the lowliest MP can join numerous special interest groups that will whisk them away expense free to sunny climes on "Fact Finding trips. MPs do have to register this largesse in the Register of Members' Interests where one will see 3 day visits are "valued" at the same cost of a two week family holiday in the Canaries. Ever wondered why there isn't a Conservative Friends of Skegness?
There are a large number of corporate welfare schemes available to businesses that don't need the finance.
Subsides to the rail franchises are probably the best known and most hated by the public in general. They directly affect millions of people daily and make little or no sense. Both Labour and the Conservative parties support the principal because of the kickbacks they offer. Billions of pounds a year are handed over to convicted fraudsters and serial tax evaders like Richard Branson and his Virgin Group.
Other tax evaders/avoiders like Amazon are net recipients of taxpayer largesse receiving more grants than they have paid in taxes. Cheap finance and government backed insurance on exports account for more billions. Disney which is worth $150 billion has benefited from £170 million of taxpayers' funds to make films in Britain, receiving £50 million in tax credits last year alone. That was never splashed across the Daily Mail or the Sun; nor will it be.
Those fiefdoms were also at work in Scotland and Wales on behalf of struggling Amazon who received £7 million from the former to build a distribution centre in Fife and a free access highway from the latter. Each government department hides behind the false cloak of commercial data sensitivity to avoid releasing any figures regarding corporate welfare. Both ministers and mandarins do not want voters (you and I) from knowing they are giving away our money so they can guarantee themselves lucrative directorships and consultancies, tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon, Cup Final and the Arts.
The total cost of this secretive system of handouts to rich businesses is estimated to be around £85 billion a year. (Kevin Farnsworth - University of York)
£85 BILLION of our money to the wealthy for free.
It gets worse; far worse. Most businesses are subsidised to pay low wages by a system of tax credits and in-work benefits. We are currently in a race to the bottom as successive governments attempt to easy the burden of taxation on the lowest paid. Less revenues are received as tax thresholds are raised while shorter working hours and Zero Hour contracts enable employers to avoid paying Employer National Insurance. More working people are sucked into having to claim benefits. As the number working people finding themselves earning less or their ability to work longer hours severely curtailed spending will be seriously reduced. This will seriously effect the tax take and the economy in general. Whichever government is in power will return to their default position by blaming the unfortunate, sick and disabled. They are all eyeing up pensioners now for cuts. Cuts which are ultimately for the personal gain of those in power; MPs and mandarins alike
The only real way of breaking this cycle is to recognise the Establishment for what it is and break its grip on our society.
With thanks to Aditya Chakraboryty (The Guardian)
The Establishment's power is in making sure you and I are unaware of its presence, existence and reach; or in the cases where people are suspicious of its possible presence or influence cover it up.
Unlike other organisations of state or business most people can join the Establishment and the majority do so unwittingly. All they have to do is conform. That is where the power of the Establishment lies; its army of the unwitting.
The average person's default position is self preservation by conformity. When someone appears to be bucking the system others around will look to protect themselves by closing ranks. That is why whistle-blowers find it almost impossible to pursue their concerns and in many cases continue their careers. For all the fine words that governments adore spouting about their wish to protect whistle-blowers they have repeatedly demonstrated their continued unwillingness to really do anything because the truth can hurt people right up to the very top.
One of the Establishment's main aims is to keep the majority down and in the dark and nowhere does this happen better at present than regarding taxation and welfare. If the electorate realised the extent of the sale of influence within government there may well be a groundswell of dissatisfaction in mainstream politics and the State.
Every Whitehall department has its fiefdom of contracts and subsidises that it can hand out. Each fiefdom is jealously fought over by their secretaries of stake to retain or grow their share of the overall pot.
We are continuously told of the need to control and reduce welfare spending. The emphasis is always on fraud by welfare claimants. In every case it is poor, sick and disabled people who are targeted because they are least likely to be able to fight back. They are disenfranchised in the real sense thereby losing the ability to even use the ballot box as their last line of defence. Most of the Establishment has gathered round to help the government in their war against the unfortunate and those in need of help.
But the ballot box will change little. The Establishment will remain on course with its aims and all mainstream political parties have no plans to really bring in ground breaking change. The poor and unfortunate of Britain will still be under siege by the State even if the Labour party or Liberal Democrats were to win overall power. Once in power whether at parish council or government level politicians will immediately start to separate themselves from the electorate almost to the point of holding a scented handkerchief under their noses. The longer they remain in power the greater the divide becomes as election promises are constantly broken and the inertia of the State and Establishment sets in. The furniture is rearranged a bit getting scratched and damaged in the process.
Where else can one find organisations co-opted to departments to review potential contracts that will ultimately be awarded to their clients because of the inside information gathered other than within government. In the process department heads will walk through revolving doors to work for the very corporations they awarded the lucrative contracts too. Secretaries of state, ministers and their families are awarded directorships and consultancies at the earliest possible moment once they are no longer in power.
When in power they travel to exotic locations, staying at the finest hotels and dining at the best restaurants at taxpayer expense. At home they suffer the strain of receptions and parties. Even the lowliest MP can join numerous special interest groups that will whisk them away expense free to sunny climes on "Fact Finding trips. MPs do have to register this largesse in the Register of Members' Interests where one will see 3 day visits are "valued" at the same cost of a two week family holiday in the Canaries. Ever wondered why there isn't a Conservative Friends of Skegness?
There are a large number of corporate welfare schemes available to businesses that don't need the finance.
Subsides to the rail franchises are probably the best known and most hated by the public in general. They directly affect millions of people daily and make little or no sense. Both Labour and the Conservative parties support the principal because of the kickbacks they offer. Billions of pounds a year are handed over to convicted fraudsters and serial tax evaders like Richard Branson and his Virgin Group.
Other tax evaders/avoiders like Amazon are net recipients of taxpayer largesse receiving more grants than they have paid in taxes. Cheap finance and government backed insurance on exports account for more billions. Disney which is worth $150 billion has benefited from £170 million of taxpayers' funds to make films in Britain, receiving £50 million in tax credits last year alone. That was never splashed across the Daily Mail or the Sun; nor will it be.
Those fiefdoms were also at work in Scotland and Wales on behalf of struggling Amazon who received £7 million from the former to build a distribution centre in Fife and a free access highway from the latter. Each government department hides behind the false cloak of commercial data sensitivity to avoid releasing any figures regarding corporate welfare. Both ministers and mandarins do not want voters (you and I) from knowing they are giving away our money so they can guarantee themselves lucrative directorships and consultancies, tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon, Cup Final and the Arts.
The total cost of this secretive system of handouts to rich businesses is estimated to be around £85 billion a year. (Kevin Farnsworth - University of York)
£85 BILLION of our money to the wealthy for free.
It gets worse; far worse. Most businesses are subsidised to pay low wages by a system of tax credits and in-work benefits. We are currently in a race to the bottom as successive governments attempt to easy the burden of taxation on the lowest paid. Less revenues are received as tax thresholds are raised while shorter working hours and Zero Hour contracts enable employers to avoid paying Employer National Insurance. More working people are sucked into having to claim benefits. As the number working people finding themselves earning less or their ability to work longer hours severely curtailed spending will be seriously reduced. This will seriously effect the tax take and the economy in general. Whichever government is in power will return to their default position by blaming the unfortunate, sick and disabled. They are all eyeing up pensioners now for cuts. Cuts which are ultimately for the personal gain of those in power; MPs and mandarins alike
The only real way of breaking this cycle is to recognise the Establishment for what it is and break its grip on our society.
With thanks to Aditya Chakraboryty (The Guardian)
