The Establishment: and how they get away with it

Owen Jones

Why I looked at this book

There's a small group of people who wield political and financial power. That appears to be the claim of this book. But who are they? My suspicion is that many people would agree on the existence of such an unaccountable group, but everyone would see themselves as one of the controlled rather than the controllers. So does such a group exist, or does it just seem that way. I'll be reading this book with a critical eye, seeing what evidence Owen Jones has for his claims.

First impressions

Well! In the foreword to the paperback edition Jones says 'Here it is worth reiterating that the book is an explicit rejection of the idea that the Establishment represents a conscious, organised conspiracy' But up to that point it seemed to me that he was supporting just such an idea, so I don't know what he was reiterating (of course the foreword would have been written after the rest of the book, so it all gets a bit confusing). I'm glad to see his view is more in line with mine, but I just wonder which point of view he takes in the rest of the book - I'll have to keep an eye on what he's really claiming.