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The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It

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In The Establishment Owen Jones, author of the international bestseller Chavs, offers a biting critique of the British Establishment and a passionate plea for democracy

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.

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)

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)

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)

358 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2014

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Owen Jones

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 657 reviews
Profile Image for Caroline.
516 reviews662 followers
May 20, 2015
I wish I had bought a copy of this book rather than borrowing it from the library. I would have loved to have filled it with underlinings, highlighting and assorted scriblings. Instead I took notes in a scrapbook as I went along, until my right hand almost fell off. What a great read!

My politics are more middle ground than Owen Jones's, who has strongly leftist sympathies, but even so I found much that I sympathised with, and found his critique of today's society in Britain, and his ideas for possible solutions, extremely interesting.

He feels that this country is very much geared up to big business and people who are massively wealthy, and that they take, and take again from the purse of the ordinary man. But when we feel the pinch created by these mighty behemoths, we are asked (by the media, by our politicians) to blame those at the bottom of the pile, (immigrants, people on benefits, civil service workers) instead of the uber wealthy really responsible for the ills of our society.

He describes the serpentine and manipulative behaviours of big business (tax evasion, donating great big chunks of money to the Conservative Party, lobbying to get legislation that will help further their aims etc) as a firewall that they use to protect themselves from the powers of democracy.

He presents some very good arguments. (Warning, this bit is condensed and really not very readable - I have just done it for myself as an aide memoir)

There was a lot in this book that I questioned, but there was also a lot that I found incredibly stimulating. I enjoyed the opportunity to look at the world from Owen Jones's perspective. He ends the book with a lengthy and thorough chapter on what he feels should be done to improve some of the wrongs that he discusses. I admire that. It would have been easy just to have voiced the ills of society, but to address them with a pile of solutions is putting oneself much more on the line. I thought this was an excellent read.
Profile Image for Stephen Goldenberg.
Author 3 books49 followers
April 6, 2016
While I already knew about most of the facts gathered together in this book, by putting them all together Owen Jones builds up a powerful and, to me, unarguable polemic. While Britain has always been ruled by a powerful, wealthy establishment elite, there was a period from post-war until 1980 in which their power was being diminished and we were becoming a fairer and more equal society. All that, as this book shows, has been thrown into reverse over the past 30 years and inequality is now worse than ever. Reading this very well researched and argued book should lead us in the UK (and things are no different in the USA) to question just how much we can call ourself a democracy.
6 reviews
October 6, 2014
Truly, if I could suggest one book that everyone in Britain should read, it would be this.

If you are disillusioned with politics, politicians, and how this country is run, you should read it. If you are actively engaged with politics, whether as a voter, activist, or elected representative, you should read it. If you really couldn't give a crap but have somehow still made it to the end of this paragraph, you should read it.

In The Establishment, Jones has bought together hundreds of examples of how the modern established way of thinking amongst the political, business, and media elite has allowed a rich few to exploit the assets and revenue provided by the tax payer. He highlights the close knit nature of those at the top, and how government legislation, backed up by vociferous media campaigns, is being written to benefit an increasingly smaller pool of the richest in our society, literally with their help.

What is more, Jones illustrates how this came to be in spite of the post-war viewpoint that created the NHS, and offers a plan on how things can and should change. Read it, realise what a ride we've all been taken on, and help change the established way of thinking.
Profile Image for Mike Clarke.
463 reviews10 followers
November 27, 2014
An encouraging B minus for Jones Minor. The Establishment makes a spirited attempt to reclaim Establishment as an all-purpose derogatory for those in charge - The Powers That Be, you might say. Jones goes at it with all the gusto of his Guardian column, and with all its faults. Jones's solipsisms are writ large here: there is way too much scene setting and not enough meat. How many of his interviews with the great and the good, which form the bulk of his evidence, have a lengthy set up describing the setting of the meeting (a posh members' club in Soho, an exclusive bar frequented by MPs in Westminster - you'd almost think he was enjoying herself) followed by one short quote or sentence and boom - he's off again to meet the next Establishment figure. This may be suitable for a newspaper column where succinctness is of the essence but done repeatedly over several hundred pages, it gets a bit irritating.

The other bugbear is that, predictably, this is a polemic designed to support Jones's thesis that the Establishment is a sinister and self-interested controlling force. Quite apart from feeling at the end like you've had a particularly long harangue from a Socialist Worker paper seller, complete with a lot of finger pointing, anything that doesn't fit is either left out or simply not considered. If we accept the implicit definition of the Establishment, then why does the British electorate repeatedly vote in their cheerleaders and supporters of, as Jones essays, the public is more left wing than its political masters?

For all that I'm fond of him - he's energetic and spunky and looks pretty on Question Time (will he team the check Fred Perry with a John Smedley jumper or will it be a Ralph Lauren Oxford?). We need more challenge in a country that's allowing its NHS to be quietly dismantled whilst thieving bankers continue to go unscathed. I must take issue with Russell Brand calling him the George Orwell of our generation though - he's a good hack but Orwell was a master of terse, economical prose that could capture a situation in a line or two. Down and Out In Paris And London this isn't. But a spirited challenge and call to arms.
Profile Image for Paul.
2,161 reviews
September 18, 2015
The Establishment... Everyone knows what you mean when you talk about it, but do you actually know what it is?

Sometimes though to be the aristocracy, or the political elite, in this book Jones aims to shine a bright light into the dark recesses of this shady group of people that run or control the country. Under that light we find politicians, peers of the realm, as you would expect but standing alongside them, looking shifty, are newspaper magnates, business leaders, the police, the oligarchs and civil servants. All of these groups subscribe to the neo-liberal, free market thinking that advocates the rolling back of the state, the reduction of the tax burden, control over the people and dissent, whilst doing everything to avoid paying their dues to society.

I am not going to say much about the contents of this book, as I think that you need to read it and make your own mind up, in particular if you:

Vote

Pay tax

Care about this country

More importantly, when you have read it, do something about it.
March 23, 2019
Essential, and Crucial for Britain

This book surprised me. I've seen it displayed in bookstores, charity shops and - surprisingly given the topic the author highlights - supermarkets like Tescos.*

Looking back, I believe that it's because of The Establishments massive popularity that I've allowed myself to sleep on it for so many years. I allowed the title to put me off, mainly due to it projecting the equvilant of an article that has 'clickbait' elements to it. I just didn't believe a book so widely available, and popular, would be as searingly accurate in it's direction of criticism toward the state of power in Britain.

My mistake. I should be grateful for my local charity shops initative to place books out at my nearest train station. I would have never have picked this up otherwise.

I've read enough by social critics on the fringes of society to have developed a healthy scepticism for any book, or author remotely forgiving of power in its many incarnations. So I was immensely surprised by Owen Jones bravery for going in straight for the jugular of the Establishment (had to use the title at least once) in this work. I'll be clear; certain topics covered are key indicators - at least for me - of how far Jones goes. Below:

1) The UK political system is beholden to corporate power.
2) New Labour and The Conservatives had little ideological difference due to point no.1 (Labour has changed now with Corbyn at the helm... for now...) and both were / are in pocket of big business.
3) There is a rotating door between the corporate world and the political world that sees figures from big business, the financial sector and the media move in and out of politics.
4) The majority of the mainstream media is rigged to support the wealthy and demonise the poor.
5) Neo-liberlalism has bound the establishment to a common ideology that has allowed for stronger social ties, and more effective defence of those in powers self-interest.
6) Socialism for the rich exists.
7) Corporations, politicians and banks leech off of the state they apparently despise.
8) The police need reforming.


For further clarity, if this were less popular I wouldn't be so surprised at the above mentioned, I have a hoard of books that are probably more detailed in analysis and critical in description of the elite, however for such a well publicised book in Britain to hit these key indicators is a promising sign.

Here's the laughing matter, most of what Owen talks about in this text has already been documented and written about. The so called Establishment has had its critics, and their movements and dealings are being criticised. However, where other authors / journalists lack, I simply cannot fault this man's ability to clearly simplify such a complicated topic. For anyone who needs to understand Britain's current state from the 1970's onwards in a straight forward prose, I would happily hand them this work. It simply cannot be explained in a more lucid manner than here.

Cliche closer: Every school in Britain should have this book.

* I'm still trying to figure out how on earth something so unbelievably critical of modern day politics ended up in Tesco. The owners of Tesco really are the example of what's described here.
Profile Image for Alan.
Author 12 books170 followers
September 20, 2016
A Christmas present from my daughter and currently my bedside read. However it's making me so angry I can't sleep, so I'll have to move it. For instance, Owen talks about how there is a derogatory programme about those on benefits, but none on tax dodgers. When Osborne talks about those who draw benefits as the same as muggers who rob you in the street, he neglects to tell you about his own scamming of the British taxpayer when he flipped his home to avoid capital gains tax, or how his firm hasn't paid tax for seven years, thus depriving the economy of around £1.6m. So he outstrips the whole of Benefits Street put together when it comes to scamming us.

Closer to home my daughter pays £600 a month for a pokey room in an ex council flat in London which has damp seeping through the walls. The landlord instead of doing his duty and tackling it with the massive profits he is making, blames the tenants for drying their clothes on the radiators. I was not surprised to hear he was a Tory councillor.

So do these people look in the mirror and confront their deep hypocrisy and feel the shame they should in profiteering from people who have no choice? No, they revel in it, they think it's normal, legit, to raid the public purses for their own greed. They live and breathe corruption and exploitation. They don't mind the stink of putrescence they fill each room with, they think up more ways to add to their, and their mates and their sponsors', already full pockets, laughing at the plights of the poor and disadvantaged. In any normal, civilised society these people would be shunned as the pariahs they are, in any normal society they would be locked up for fraud and dissembling, here, they run the country. This book tells you how they get away with it.

Profile Image for Ana.
807 reviews684 followers
December 20, 2017
Want to know how UKIP managed to convince voters that the best option for Britain is to leave the EU, basing themselves on an anti-immigration platform? Want to know why London's the City is a heaven for human sharks who live for nothing else than wealth? Want to know why currently, Britain is at an all time low for wages and social support, but their people seem to be too apathetic to do something about it? Then read this book and tremble at how corrupt a country that boasts itself as a bastion for Westernized values and education allows dictatorships to own large chunks of their economy, pushes for a political agenda that is all about maintaining the status-quo and is on the verge of privatizing everything that can be privatized, just to make a buck out of it.
8 reviews11 followers
May 16, 2015
I'll start by saying that I think Owen has a point. The police, political parties, bankers, and big business all protect their own interests, and over time those interests have become intertwined to the point that they all look out for one another. That much, I believe, is true.

My issue with the book is twofold:
1. It's not particularly well investigated. Much of the book is a summary of what's in the public domain (the death of Ian Tomlinson, the Hillsborough catastrophe etc) and is not investigative, illuminating or revelatory in any way. A lot of his interviews spend more time talking about where they met, the decor of the offices of his correspondent, or the fact that (shock!) many of them are charming and engaging. The interviews themselves are given maybe two or three quotes, often without context.
2. The incidents he mentions do not hang together to make the case particularly well. Hillsborough was a catastrophe; the police behaviour was inexcusable and caused the death of many innocent people; but is it a symbol of an illuminati-like network of the powerful and corrupt? Only within the police. There are a number of similar cases throughout the book; because of the fragmented nature of his journalism, the case doesn't hang together well and much of his evidence is circumstantial or anecdotal.

All this adds up to a wasted opportunity and a rushed, disappointing, unconvincing book. The conclusion is most likely right; but the evidence in this book is scant. And his solution to the status quo is thrown in at the end, without evidence, care or expertise - it's so superficial as to be worthless.
Profile Image for Adam Higgitt.
30 reviews4 followers
February 4, 2015
To appreciate this book, you have to understand what Owen Jones means by "the establishment". It turns out he means anyone who disagrees with his politics or has been instrumental in some way in frustrating the success of those politics over the past 30 years. The police, America, New Labour and virtually anyone with money are all included in this somewhat expansive definition.

After a few chapters, it becomes clear that the real purpose of the book isn't to identify and expose our controlling elite. Rather, it is to offer an explanation as to why his alternative politics has existed only on the margins of popular debate for the last four decades. Just as the Marxists of yesteryear turned themselves inside out with the theory of "false consciousness" so, we are told, the establishment has succeeded by making its own perverted ideas the orthodoxy and by bullying all others out of viability. It's not, we are told, that the people don't want a radical left-wing agenda, but rather that the institutions and instruments necessary to give voice and effect to such an agenda are all under the grip of its enemies.

That isn't to say there is no merit at all in such a case. In looking at the hysterical media and business response to Ed Miliband's modest and moderate attempts to critique Laissez-faire capitalism, it is clear that there is often a stiflingly homogenous view of how British society and the economy ought to be organised. But it's also an incredibly convenient excuse for why the sort of social and economic policies Owen Jones wants to see enjoy precious little public support despite what nearly everyone agrees has been the manifest failings of the existing orthodoxy. If this book really has a goal, it is to vent frustration at this this fact.

That could be an powerful polemic. Or it could be an honest confessional tract. Sadly, it's neither. In the first instance. it is sloppy and slap dash (hilariously, he complains at one point that a 1300-page contract outsourcing part of the NHS is so long as to defy scrutiny. Presumably he means "too long for me to read while researching this book"). He attempts to use polling evidence to show a public yearning for greater public ownership and so on, while ignoring all the contrary and contradictory such findings. And if you come to this book looking for anything approaching a clear-eyed reflection about the left's failings to make and win its case, you are going to be sorely disappointed. In fact, there is not so much a hint that entities such as the trade unions (in their own way as much a part of the establishment as anything else he identifies) have been other than the victims of a vicious and self-serving plutocracy.

And when Jones does grab hold of a decent argument he mostly manages to undermine it by excess. He rightly picks up on Barack Obama's presidential election assertion that behind every successful private business stands an array of public services. But he illustrates this point in stupid ways, such as claiming that the iPhone is really an innovation of the state. And he goes on and on about this, as if it is his insight.

And because he has chosen to identify anyone who stands against his ideology as the establishment and anyone who stands with him as being outside it, he gets into to all sorts of trouble. So UKIP, because he defines them as right wing as part of the establishment, while the EU - because he perceives that it espouses good social democratic principles - isn't. The section on the EU is actually the most embarrassing of all to read, as Jones twists first this way then that. He knows - and indeed notes - that the Commission in particular lacks democratic legitimacy. Yet he also sees that it is the enemy of the vast, hegemonic right-wing conspiracy now in control of our country and is therefore a realpolitik ally.

By far the best section of the book is his conclusion, where he has a stab at outlining the alternative vision and how it could work. But it only underlines to remind you that this isn't an expose of the establishment and its many vices, but one almighty moan that the politics other than his own hold sway. This is book is not therefore just a missed opportunity to lay bare the established order and the crisis of legitimacy it has engendered. If it was, we could all safely ignore it. Instead, the danger is that that such an ineptly argued case actually provides his enemies further ammunition and thus buttresses them. The trouble with this book is not just that it's bad, but that it is sucking the oxygen away from those who might be able to make a more cogent case that we need to change both those in charge and their ideology.
Profile Image for Anna.
1,824 reviews816 followers
November 30, 2016
Well, that was very depressing. Owen Jones' book really needs an additional chapter titled 'And Then It All Got Worse: the 2015 Election and Brexit'. The current concluding chapter sounds an optimistic note, which is entirely crushed by knowledge of subsequent events. As for the rest, it is solid, clearly written, deeply enraging piece of longform journalism. Jones sets out in measured terms the roles of the police, politicians, bankers, etc in promoting neoliberal ideology and their own interests. I am withholding the fifth star as the book didn't really tell me anything I didn't know already or give any new insight into the failures of neoliberalism. That is no reflection on the book's quality, it's simply because I'd already read a fair bit of similar material, of which this is an excellent synthesis. The details of how unions have been sidelined were less familiar to me and the interview snippets livened things up, also the role of think tanks was dealt with very well. Overall, it was definitely worth reading as context for the fiasco of current UK politics, however for more detail on specific themes (eg the housing crisis, the mechanics of the credit crunch, and the underlying theory of free market economics) there are other books I'd recommend. And if you want to feel some slight glimmer of hope for UK politics, try Honourable Friends?: Parliament and the Fight for Change by Caroline Lucas.
Profile Image for Sara.
105 reviews119 followers
June 9, 2015
Disciplining the home team

[Through my ratings, reviews and edits I'm providing intellectual property and labor to Amazon.com Inc., listed on Nasdaq, which fully owns Goodreads.com and in 2014 posted revenues for $90 billion and a $271 million loss. Intellectual property and labor require compensation. Amazon.com Inc. is also requested to provide assurance that its employees and contractors' work conditions meet the highest health and safety standards at all the company's sites].

The book is intended as a primer on neoliberalism for the British masses fallen prey to establishment-manipulated media and therefore in need of an "eye-opening" account of how power is really wielded - undemocratically, i.e. not in the interest of the masses - in the UK.

It is this assumption that I find worn-out, cheesy and totally unconvincing, not least because it offends the intelligence of those masses the book aims to liberate. It is offensive to think that a bunch of ridiculous right wing think-tanks can manipulate the electoral decisions of millions of people, and Jones' respect for their supposed influence is embarassing.

My competing assumption is that voters have a clear, material (not ideological) grasp of the side of the class war they are on. Contrary to Owen Jones, who sticks to traditional Labour boilerplate, Thatcher's success was not due to neoliberal propaganda (which was and still is odious), but to a material shift of class war's goal posts. Thirty years of US funded welfare state had turned the working class into a new bourgeoisie (or working aristocracy) inhabiting a "new Jerusalem" increasingly reliant on third-world commodities and work, as had already been the case during the British Empire, but with US-backed sovereign debt now acting as a multiplier of wealth. In the Eighties then new unregulated private debt kicked in and from the Noughties a dramatic surge in purchasing power thanks to ever cheaper containership goods completed the separation of the British (and in general western) working classes from their developing counterparties, and their "antagonization".

Voters know what side they are on when banks are bailed out and the NHS privatized. They know that materially they are on the same side as the Etonian idiots in office, or the American auditing firms who have captured the Commons and HMRC. They know they are just being "disciplined", for their class's sake.

What is awesome is the international, invisible legal, financial and technological infrastructure that constitutes the real establishment - not the people that from various political angles, but a single class standpoint, contribute to its development.

Jones' contribution to the establishment consists in perpetuating the illusion that nothing is structural, that it is only a matter of democracy being temporarily betrayed by bad press and greedy politicians looking forward to their next revolving door appointment. And also in nurturing the view that the UK is a self-contained economy and society, not depending on other economies and societies, which are mentally tucked away in a remote, foggy "overseas" no one cares about, preferring to think that sound left wing politics is to keep the NHS in public hands - as if it made any difference on the real class war front.

To be fair to poor Owen Jones, his theses are widely held and there are stacks of other right wing books making his same points. See for example the exhilarating - and highly original - Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown, and the apologetic but accurate (except of course for the totally missing class analysis) Thinking The Unthinkable: Think Tanks And The Economic Counter Revolution 1931 1983.
Profile Image for Dex.
44 reviews4 followers
October 25, 2014
This book is kind of an audit of the state of the nation. And it doesn't make for nice reading. It starts off with the impact lunatic right wing think tanks have had (and how they hide in plain sight as moderates) on the political landscape. And then it works its way thorough politicians, the media, the City and the police. I don't think I have previously read a book that has made me incrementally more angry as I turned each single page. And I don't think I've read a book that has convinced me so completely that the people who run the country have very little to do with democracy and the good of the common people. It's all self-interest. And they are screwing us over. The problem is, we've all been getting mad when we should be getting even.
Profile Image for Rae.
443 reviews31 followers
May 18, 2021
If Bad Pharma was a book about how the pharmaceutical industry sucks, this is a book about how everyone else sucks.

It turns out I'm a bit more left wing than I thought I was, because I don't disagree with everything Owen Jones says, however, a lot of this book amounts to lists of who has dinner with who and how terrible this is.

The Establishment is written in a repetitive, one-sided and hectoring way that didn't so much persuade me as beat me down.

Owen Jones makes some very good points, you just have to dig them out. At the expense of insightful commentary, he seems determined to list every example of cronyism he can get in.

I was disappointed with the "interviews" which mostly consist of context-less quotes and detail about the café decor. I'd have loved to have read some back and forth between the anti-establishment Owen Jones and the proponents of the system he hopes to topple, but they're slipped in amidst the myriad lists of who is earning what and who is schmoozing who.

It is fair to say that I am now thoroughly miserable about the state of the country, so from that perspective the book is a roaring success. I don't, however, feel empowered or motivated or hopeful in any way.

I've rounded up to 3 stars for giving me lots of food for thought, but I would be selective about who I recommend this book to as it's not as accessible as I had expected.
Profile Image for Aurélien Thomas.
Author 10 books113 followers
August 9, 2020
'And so, here is the reality of modern British politics. The views of millions of Britons are simply not represented.'

Ok, I admit: I despise politicians with a passion. Parasites and leeches all in for themselves, they are either greedily and selfishly interested, or, completely incompetent. No matter what political party, they all are the same, as groupthink remains a powerful thing. So, obviously, this book pointing to how our political system (for Owen Jones doesn't denounce individuals, but the system that had led them to power and helps shape their policies once there) was mostly music to my ears!

Bashing against the Establishment, though, can be too easy. Sure, the mess we're all in calls for scapegoats, and such a fleeting and elusive concept as 'Establishment', because it is so fleeting and elusive, fits the bill perfectly for whose at the bottom. It's easy, but not helpful. After all, what and who is this 'Establishment' exactly?

Well, I confess, the author being way more leftist than I am (I identify as centre right, anyway) I had braced myself for an attack upon the rich and successful, the corporate owners and politicians whose 'bad luck' would have been to come from privileged background; all the while victimising everybody else. In fact, because the author is such a staunch leftist, I had kept away from this book for quite a while, expecting the usual caricatural bashing against the rich. Well, I was damned wrong! And putting this off for so long had been my loss. I am glad I finally read it.

Owen Jones, in fact, is the first to denounce such narrow mindedness. For him, the Establishment is indeed everything but only filthy rich middle aged white men, a mistaken view which leads to completely miss the wider picture. As he rightly asserts, it's not about wealth. It's not about class. As a matter of fact, it's not about age nor gender nor race either. It's about a mindset, the mindset of people who think themselves self-entitled to their success, money and power, and, so, will do everything they can to get more money and power with utter contempt for whose not sharing their values -and, so, their part of the pie. Focusing on wealth only is, as he states, a perception that allows some members of the Establishment to convince themselves that they're not part of it at all. The point needs to be asserted, because, populist movements like UKIP or even some fringe of our dominant parties might claim they are anti-Establishment, but, as it turns out, they are everything but.

Have you ever wondered why, for instance, no matter who is in charge, no matter the political party, it's always the same difference? Well, there you go: the divide between Right and Left became meaningless, precisely because there is no divide to start with. Our politicians all abide to the same dogmas, the same ideologies, and all are in the same boat sharing the same interests with each others.

'there's little difference between the main political parties. By surrendering democratic powers to private interests, and by building a political elite that differs more on nuances than on substantive issues, the Establishment has committed untold damage to democracy.'


A threat to democracy it is indeed, for this goes way beyond politics. Here's a powerful expose which outlines in fact a whole culture, one of revolving doors and incestuous relationships between the medias, corporate businesses, financial gurus and politicians. The account is appallingly damaging..

Now, there is nothing wrong with a certain demographics sharing the same interests (free market radicalism, deregulations, tax cuts when not tax avoidance altogether...) and, so, lobbying to have their ideas spreading around if not politically adopted. The problem is, in here there is no balance. There is no debate. There is no alternative. There is no challenge to such interest being put forward, simply because, the demographics having opposite interests and goals have been systematically excluded from position of power and influences.

'those who benefit least from Britain's economic an social order are increasingly unlikely to penetrate the Westminster Bubble.'


Now, here, personally, I go far further than the author. I think that Britain is not really a democracy, but an oligarchy, serving corporatism and a financial market which contributes nothing to society as a whole but is just a playground for brats and bullies to gamble and speculate in the name of greed. Whatever your stance, though, there is no denying that the benefits of the financial sector ought to be questioned:

'A financial system is essential to nurture and sustain business. But Britain's financial system has increasingly moved away from this core function in favour of a casino operation focused on speculation and complex derivative products.'


The consequences, of course, have been disastrous as we all know...

But before tackling the financial crisis of 2008, Owen Jones reflects upon the particular history of Britain; an history which had seen the triumph of Thatcherism. Such triumph would have two consequences. First, whereas before that the partisans of such free market radicalism were perceived as marginal looney (let's call a spade a spade, should we) they now found themselves in charge. Then, they were not only in charge but went unchallenged, since the merciless war launched against potential opposition (e.g. trade unionism etc.) had been successful beyond every expectation. The triumph was in fact such that, even the Labour party accommodated the new ideology -New Labour owning as much to Thatcherism as the deregulated financial sector taking over. In this context, people not being part of the Establishment would not only find themselves excluded from a supposedly 'democratic' regime (again, I am way harsher than the author on that point) but they will also be ruthlessly dealt with! Tax avoidance might cost 25 times more to the state than benefit frauds, yet it's not the financial barons and corporate moguls which are in the cross hair when politicians get tough in recovering taxpayers money. The fate of the poor, the unemployed, the disabled are harrowing. Beyond the downtrodden, it's also the rest of us suffering through austerity while the culprits got away. It's a terrible state of affair, but there we go:

'Rather than rocking the Establishment's foundations, the financial crisis brought its values to the fore... Those who shared responsibility for plunging Britain into economic catastrophe faced no sanctions or punishments. They were not driven into poverty and hardship, nor forced to depend on food banks in order to eat.'


Indeed.

The irony is, the total free market paradigm itself is a fraud. It's a con. A scam. A lie. As we all know full well by now, the elites in charge might bash against the state and call for deregulations for capitalistic success, but, in the end, when things go awfully wrong it's always the state which has to intervene. Hence, what we have is in fact, as the author rightly puts it, 'socialism for the rich', or, 'state-subsidised capitalism'. The hypocrisy cannot but make you sick with anger.

Now, of course, this book is not perfect despite its powerful indictment. In fact, Owen Jones sometimes go too far for my liking, or, use easy targets. The medias might be echo of a political consensus, many, for example, turning prejudices and insecurities into sensationalists tools to serve crass political agenda; but not all. The Sun and The Daily Express might be rags experts in trashy sensationalism, but, overall, Britain still has a decent press, and, above all, I believe readers to have critical thinking. Same with the police. Police brutality is a reality, and so is racism (in the light of the BLM movement, his questioning of the stop-and-search policies are, about, strikingly relevant...). But, despite its at times bad policing, and, of course, corrupt behaviours (he recalls the Plebgate episode...) I think quite extreme to label it as the henchman of the Establishment. Maybe I am naïve, though? As for claiming we sold ourselves to the USA, hence the reason why civil liberties had to be attacked under New Labour, I find this way too simplistic. New Labour emerged from socialism, and socialism can be as much of a threat to liberties than the ultra-liberals governing us. On that topic, I personally prefer the analysis of Dominic Raab in The Assault on Liberty: What Went Wrong with Rights

Nevertheless, here is a powerful read, embracing a wide array of issues and topics, maybe repetitive at times, if not outrageous, but never failing to hit right on target. As they said, if you're not offended you're not paying attention. Read on, then, because this will not offend you but make you boil with resent and anger. Would that be a first step towards changing things? Let's hope so!
Profile Image for Alexander Popov.
65 reviews50 followers
September 13, 2015
"The Establishment" is a case study of how neo-liberal, free market, survival-of-the-fittest ideas have hegemonized the political, economic and media space of modern Britain. But, as the author points out, those ideas have always been aimed to transcend national borders; a chapter of the book, dealing with the City of London, the heart of the world financial sector, is aptly called "Masters of the Universe", and the next one -- "The Illusion of Sovereignty". Reading this might open your eyes regardless of where you live.
Increasingly so, we are bombarded with variations of the notion that we live in a just and natural societal order; the ones doing the bombarding are, guess who -- media barons and politicians with a vested interest in this thing called "the Establishment". Any deviation from that natural order, however slight, is pegged as loony, immoral, traitorous even; alternatives are ridiculed, their proponents humiliated.
Sure, this is a biased book. So is almost anything you will ever read on the topic, even in academia, where economics departments have been deeply politicized and those within the humanities are continuously decimated under an unsympathetic status quo. At the very least, read it to get the alternative point of view, you might be surprised how deeply it will resonate.
Profile Image for Libros Prohibidos.
868 reviews401 followers
March 7, 2016
Este libro es imprescindible para saber qué se está cocinando en la actualidad, por qué va el mundo en la dirección que va y, lo más importante, qué se debe hacer para evitarlo (algo mucho más simple que lo que los medios a diario nos hacen pensar). Si tienes la más mínima inquietud en materia política, este libro es imprescindible para ti. Reseña completa: http://www.libros-prohibidos.com/owen...
Profile Image for Athene.
42 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2016
Enlightening. I especially liked the sections that covered the revolving door between politics and business, health ministers taking up posts with private health companies, accountants writing up tax laws then advising their clients on how to avoid tax laws. I do recommend it as a good overview of the current state of the political system.

Profile Image for Kelly.
590 reviews3 followers
February 28, 2018
This book has a built-in liberal audience and it panders to them. This audience will love this book (the ratings indicate so) because it validates their feelings and beliefs. I’m not doubting the truth of what the author states, but the extreme one-sidedness is divisive. I’m fatigued of divisiveness and wish to read more content that bears a unifying intent. Until that happens, the second best path is to juxtapose both sides of an extreme POV in terms of book selection.
Profile Image for Viv JM.
704 reviews167 followers
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 25, 2016
DNF @ 24 pages. I might try again another time, but just didn't feel in the mood for this at the moment.
Profile Image for Abdul Sallam Al Musafir.
45 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2022
This is a bit of an exposé by Owen Jones of the British Establishment. Defining what he considers as "The Establishment", the pillars of it and how its controls all aspects of British politics and the society to its core. The Royal Family, Westminster politicians, Free markteers, The 'boys in blue', media moguls, tax dodgers etc. Are all part of the establishment elite that controls politics and media in the UK in Jone's view. Pointing out how since Thatcher days there had been continues effort to promote the idea of laissez-fair and Neoliberalism as the only reasonable way to create ongoing growth in the economy whilst criminalising and reducing the mandates of the trade unions. Whilst Government contracts are won by lobbying, big corporation paying the minimum level of taxes almost nill and them and the banks are bailed out by the taxpayers in nearest recession and MPs working in corporation in their field straight after their time in the commons.

He stresses how the establishment elite and freemarkteers have ultimate grip on British politics as Labour - Traditionally left party - has shifted to the centre/right in policies, normalizing lobbying in gov and starting to privatize publicly owned sectors. Tony Blair and "New Labour" has partnered with the likes of Rupert Murdoch and other tycoons to win the public vote and steer the media with the support of the infamous spin doctor Alister C. Whilst having blindly great relationship with both US presidents during his time as PM and following Bush's"anti-terrisom' plans in the Middle East against the British public's well and by misleading Parliament.

The writer suggests some idea in the final chapter to regain the 'power of democracy', introducing more independent bodies for scrutiny and financial ideas such as capital control. This is book is must read if someone is interested in British politics but, one will find it extremely annoying to read if you strongly believe in Neoliberalism.
Profile Image for Ben.
98 reviews9 followers
January 9, 2016
This is the second work of non-fiction from Jones' that I've read, which means he is the only author to whom I have read all their books. That’s kind of cool.

Much like 'Chavs', this book is well researched; almost every sentence is inspired by some bit of background research, and I can't imagine how much time Jones must have spent putting this book together. If my opinion is that some parts of the book were baggy and exhaustive to read, I can only imagine how much time they must have taken to write.

Unlike 'Chavs' though, there is little to like about what Jones' uses this book to say. It is supposed to be a criticism of the powerful members of society and the culture that they live in. He labels this culture 'The Establishment', and it's a label that he should have put more thought into. Throughout the book, the label is used, but its intricacies and borders are never themselves established. Maybe it was my stupidity, but there were many points in the book where I didn't understand what made someone a member of The Establishment and what ruled someone out of it. One reviewer on goodreads said that all it took to be in The Establishment was to disagree with him. Which is funny, and like most funny things, reaches to some kind of truth.

There are a lot of points in this book where Jones’ proves the deceit of the ruling classes. At several points, members of the political and the financial elite say one thing, but Jones’ narration points out that what they truly mean is the exact opposite. The Establishment want a clean image, but are dirtied by the truth. This kind of trickery is always shown as a bad thing, but there is no way that Jones’ believes it is morally wrong – unless, of course, he hasn’t quite yet learnt the meaning of irony. This book is literally a 313-page example of deceit. The book presents itself as a manifest exposure of the ruling classes; under that surface is the truth, and it is much dirtier. This book isn’t a platform for criticism, but a platform of self-reverence.

I enjoyed reading ‘Chavs’ more than ‘The Establishment’. Perhaps this is just a product of my own opinion, resulting from my contempt of political conversation and preference for sociological research. Perhaps, however, my enjoyment was dimmed because the arguments put forward in ‘The Establishment’ were simply weaker. ‘Chavs’ had a systematic formula: points were established and then evidence supplied to back up that point and in some cases develop it. It felt to me that a lot of the arguments in ‘The Establishment’ were emotionally charged opinions disguised as criticism. There wasn’t cohesive evidence put towards a single point here. As the Nazis themselves found, it’s difficult to scapegoat one group in society as the ultimate evil.
“They are wrong so I must be right” was the main point, but it was never put forward explicitly what his own opinions actually were – only that the elite were contemptable.

In many cases Jones’ picks and choses what The Establishment’s ideology is in order to present not a criticism, but where his own political concerns lie. Ex, he uses the fact that prison populations are disproportionately black to show that The Establishment is institutionally racist, but doesn’t to use other demographic statistics, such as the amount of Jews who are in ‘The Establishment’. Through his picking and choosing, he shows his own concern for racism, and loses the all-knowing and observant tone that the piece is meant to have

To keep up, I suppose, the appearance of analysis over opinion, Jones uses the “public” to channel what he sees as good. The public are the people in society who are slaves to the betterment of the ruling classes. He takes a romantic view of the working classes that can be seen in such works as Engles and Lenin: Oppressed and correct. They are, for Jones, the antithesis of The Establishment. Everything the public want is in opposition to what The Establishment want. Conveniently for Jones, the public happen to agree with everything that he tries to channel in this book

There’s something that should have been revised ideologically about this book too. Throughout, there is a despise of The Establishment’s character and a praise for the public’s, but again, there is no solid establishment on what these characters actually are.
The Establishment are criticised throughout the book on their philosophy of dominance and control. Their impact on the media, the police and the government is all about the ideology of pushing down the lower classes and being “in it for themselves”. Pushing others down appears to be a solid foundation in The Establishment’s thinking until the chapter about globalisation arrives, where the UK’s elite suddenly have a change of heart, and desire to be “subservient” to the USA. Jones’ narration presents this knowingly, as if it had always been a principle of The Establishment’s opinion.
The public, too, are treated in a weird way. Not only are they seen as heartbreakingly oppressed proles, but they are presented overwhelmingly as a cohesive unit. A movement that Jones supports, Occupy, says “the public” is made up of 99% of the population. According to the 2013 Census, that is 63,459,000 people. Yet amongst these millions of people, there is more of a consensus than in the 1%. All of these people are, presumably by intuition? against the rule of The Establishment. They, by being large in numbers, lose their place as individuals and become collectivised fighters… against the rich and powerful… For everything that they do… With Thatcher and… With racism… No. Jones’ ownership of the public’s opinion shows, ironically, how out of touch he is with the majority of society.

The book isn’t weak because of Jones’ flawed understanding of people – though it does contribute. His failure is in his attempt to explain society through politics. As I started to read this book, I thought to myself with a slight sadness that this was the book Jones really wanted to write. ‘Chavs’ was the book that he was forced to write to prove his worth with publishers. In his journalism, there is always a reference to politics, and social studies are only cherry-picked to find evidence towards his own political leanings. If it were true it would be a shame, because this book holds far, far less value.

Like most leftist political leanings, his have no firm and grounded opinions and only serve to criticise the more outspoken opinions of the right. It is only in the final chapter that Jones attempts to find a solution to the problem of ‘The Establishment’, which is of course, “democratic revolution”. Again, what that means is never truly established.
Profile Image for Malcolm Hebron.
50 reviews2 followers
July 30, 2015
In the last week in the UK, we have learned that the Speaker of the House of Commons has taken trips from one part of London to another costing hundreds of pounds, peers have claimed £300 a day just for toddling to the House of Lords (no one seems to check whether they actually do anything once there) while Labour Lord Sewel has been filmed allegedly partying with two prostitutes and cocaine. All this has been paid for by the taxpayer, instructed by these admirable legislators to suck up whatever the consequences of 40% cuts in public spending may be. It seems a good time to read Owen Jones's polemic on the distribution and exercise of power in modern Britain.

Strong points. A clear account of the movement of the ideas of Hayek, Friedman & co. from the margins to the centre (he clearly admires the clever manoeuvring of their proselytes in institutes and the media, the jungle in which our author moves). There's an energising angry conviction, powering us through the facts and figures. The Establishment makes a powerful case that the state has ceased operating for the public good and acts as a conduit for the delivery of profits to tax-dodging corporations, oligarchs, financiers (a particularly good chapter on the City)and under-the-radar private operators of various kinds. The sight of George Osborne in a hard hat faking glottal stops, or IDS punching the air in triumph as budget cuts to welfare are announced, fills out the Jones picture of cronyism nicely, to my mind. The statement that modern capitalist societies are owned by the very rich and run for their own benefit seems a truism. Saying it's stale or doesn't matter misses the point. The chapter on Europe is nicely uncertain: is the EU the last protector of social justice and human rights, or neo-lib left-bashing democracy-hating capitalism in its grimmest greyest form? Both Left and Right have had ambiguous attitudes to it, depending on which of these things they like or loathe.

Weak points. Not much new material here. I seem to remember reading a similar analysis, in cooler tones, in Anthony Sampson, Who Runs This Place? The chapter on the police belongs in a different book: it's about political manipulation and corruption, and hooks on very loosely to the argument based on the new economics. Hayek and Friedman are not to blame, even circuitously, for Hillsborough and Ian Tomlinson. There is a bit of a golden haze around anything pre-1979, and the writing style with its descriptive touches sometimes grates. I don't really care that Geoffrey Robertson's legal offices are in a Georgian building in a nice bit of London, or that the mother of an extradited young man serves Indian delicacies. Michael Lewis does the human story much better. And the title is wrong. The Establishment suggests a much more restricted group, bowler-hatted toffs in an Ealing comedy, while the powerful as described in this book are really brought together by a desentising system which encourages greed over compassion. There are tangled nets of mutual back-scratching and shared holidays, but it doesn't make for the conspiratorial group the title implies (an idea the author himself disowns near the end).It's surprising there isn't a chapter on education. One would think Jones would have something to say about private education and the unearned advantages that come with it. Oddly, given the writer's background, the research is based largely in London.

I looked over some reviews and came away with a poor impression. This should be a straightforward book to analyse. Jones writes clear, classical arguments. That is to say, he makes points and adduces evidence to support them. So a critique would clearly need to question whether the evidence really supports the point, provide counter-evidence supporting different points, and look for logical inconsistencies in the arguments presented. I'm sure the book is open to this kind of scrutiny for the misleading or tendentious('Britain's efforts to wrest the Falklands from Argentina in 1982' seems to be missing a word, for example). But the reviewers paid by the right-wing press simply cannot be bothered to do this amount of work. So criticism is generally on the level of 'Oh, but he writes for the Guardian so he's establishment too' and even sneers at the blurb from Russell Brand, which seems fairly desperate to me. Jones has been reviled for doing reasonable things like attacking (in argument) those he doesn't like and selecting evidence which strengthens his thesis. Shocking! The Establishment serves as a neat compilation of evidence on various topics. Its prescription for change in the last chapter is not altogether convincing, but a critique of the current state of things doesn't necessarily have to be justified by a detailed manifesto for the future. Is Jones a romantic socialist? Odd that those two words have a bad flavour to them. And it seems that Syriza, Podemos, Corbyn might represent a new phase of thinking rather than the rose-tinted nostalgia their opponents anxiously claim. James Meek, Private Island, would be a good follow-up to this committed and pugnacious book.
June 17, 2020
gave great insight into british politics and made me very angry ((but in a good way)) looking forward to the revolution :)
Profile Image for David Tyler.
105 reviews
May 16, 2021
James Devo, a man who campaigns with hard-right Tories and is a self-identified conservative, bought me this book for my birthday. This book is written by a passionate socialist, and attacks corporate capitalism, big business and the police. Devo told me he agrees with every word of it. Try squaring that circle
Profile Image for Robert Ronsson.
Author 5 books24 followers
August 11, 2015
The problem with this book is that the majority of the people who will read it are doing so to confirm their own understanding of this country's ills. We know that the few run it for the benefit of the few - and these manipulators of truth can be herded together under the catch-all 'The Establishment'. So far - so good.
As has been mentioned elsewhere the 'proofs' put forward to support the argument are a mixed bag. The most gear-crunching postulation being that the 'Plebgate' minister, Andrew Mitchell (Rugby School and Cambridge) found himself a 'pleb' at the mercy of the police 'establishment'.
Where the book fails is in its conclusion. To say we need a "democratic revolution" is akin to saying that a plant dying through dehydration needs water. It's all very well talking about how wonderful life will be for the plant once it's had a drink but unless you can describe the method by which the water gets to the plant or vice-versa you're left with the status quo.
Interestingly, my reading of this book coincided with Jeremy Corbynmania. Could he be the start of the democratic revolution that Owen Jones craves?Judging by the way Jones is supporting him you would think so. I have the feeling that if one of the other candidates beats Corbyn then I'll be disappointed because the Labour Party didn't have the balls to give him a go. But the same logic tells me that, if Corbyn wins, I'll be disappointed because The Establishment will crush him. Judging by the arguments in this book he doesn't stand a chance.
Profile Image for Jacob Stelling.
413 reviews15 followers
November 11, 2021
A strong, compelling and well-researched dissection of the role which the Establishment plays in modern British society.

Beginning with a clear definition and history of the Establishment, Jones goes on to highlight the numerous areas of society where the odds are stacked in favour of the wealthy and powerful, who operate according to a different rule book.

A powerful critique of contemporary society, and provides a wake up call for the importance of making meaningful change to benefit the many, rather than the few.
Profile Image for Craig Russell.
13 reviews
March 12, 2021
Spoiler, this book isn't a Communist's handbook.

However it is, important reading for everyone who has forgotten all the British political scandals since the 90s, and for anyone who doesn't understand why the modern political opinion is "common sense".

P s.

Yes, I'm very aware that staunch conservatives will pick through this book with a fine tooth comb to build a counter narrative; they're simps for the hegemony they'll never be.
Profile Image for Paul.
682 reviews
August 20, 2020
Clearly written and well argued, this book offers a good interpretation of the current make-up of the elite in Britain. The level of the book doesn't get too academic, and the interviews are always relevant.
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