Do friends of rich people have no shame?

My old boss was a mega-millionaire. I don't think I ever thought to ask for anything above my salary.

I too find it very odd that the mega rich have all these leeches around them - and how utterly shameless the leeches are.

Yes it’s really looking like it’s just the small people who pay their bills and their taxes.

I thought it was well-known that Fergie never had any shame. I used to work for a very famous hair salon in the 1990s and I regularly chased her (and Paula Yates) for payment. She would just up sticks and grift somewhere else. Grifters have always got to grift.

I would be embarrassed but then I don't want to be beholden to anyone and I've got pride.

What makes you think he was told no? I didn't say the relative refused.

A family members job brings them into contact with many of these people and she is certainly not positive about Peter M…

Mandelson is turning out to be an utter creep on so many levels, isn't he. Giving govt emails to Epstein ?? If true, that's unforgivable. Surely a criminal offence.

Yes, they've certainly thrown the British under the bus, haven't they?

(Presumably because they're not American rather than being specifically British).

What are often referred to as "high net worth individuals" can be very very very cagey about their privacy. I occasionally do a little bit of work for a company that makes super yachts, and it's strictly no photos, no information shared about the builds- "these clients are very concerned about their privacy" kind of thing. And it just seems to be accepted that the very rich are entitled to a higher level of privacy in their affairs than you or I.

See even that I find odd. Like, if I were rich and famous I would assume that everything I did would be on show. Have a bad day and there's always someone there to see it and tell the world. And if you have a lot if money or power there's always someone happy to bring you down a peg or two. I mean, I wouldn't do any of this stuff anyway but I find it so bizarre that none of these dolts thought 'Oh, I'd quite like to do that really dodgy thing, but guaranteed it will get back to the press / police / my mum so I'd better not'. I suppose that's the entitlement, it's very difficult to understand if you don't work that way.

Royals are famous scroungers. Mandelson's always been the same, never enough cash. Just looking at who's receiving the most opprobrium and blame for involvement in the Epstein sludge right now. Maxwell, a Brit. Royal Andrew and wife, Brits. Mandelson, Brit. Branson, a Brit, mentioned. Hmm. Where's President Pigly and his mates in this? Seems to be a lack of the US contingent. All extremely sleazy and revolting. That pic of Andrew enough to chill the blood of anyone. Vile.

Do you think they are aware of the immoral unconscionable things they are doing and get off on the fact that they won’t be caught? They can’t be so alien that they don’t know what they are doing is wrong or illegal. They probably just don’t believe they will get caught and face the music.

Two were jailed. The man at the top and his female sidekick.

To be fair, at the other end of the scale, until recently we had rape gang organisers and users, and we still have prolific shoplifters and hordes of middle class fraudsters getting away with it because they can.

It seems to be human nature in many people to take what they can get away with unpunished. In the rich it's just so much more newsworthy, visible and interesting to watch happen.

I think there are strong parallels with Jimmy Saville albeit at a higher cash level. Lots of people knew there was something off about JE as they did with JS. But they didnt know details.

The only people who knew details were the victims and people who had been involved in some way. Even if only slightly. Guilt by association, guilt by silence.

There are definitely a tranche of the super rich and a tier or so below that who have some other power such as politicians, media etc, who think they can do whatever the hell they like and get away with it.

As many of them can! All these rich and powerful men, one person has been jailed and it was a woman. Look at Trump and Musk doing whatever they like and getting away with it.

@NotDarkGothicMama It's like Mandelson "not recalling" being given £75k: either it happens so often that it's inconsequential, or it's a big fat lie.

Co-signed.

These are people for whom there is no difference between asking for an underage girl to have sex with and asking for a tens of thousands of pounds - it’s all the same belief that the world exists to service your inhumane and excessive and consumption. If you don’t care about trafficking and exploiting humans why on earth would you give a hoot about cadging money?

That is soft power

This is possible.

I guess I class Epstein more as a 'society' figure.

This video really freaked me out.

Epstein is asked ‘Are you the devil himself?’ in released video

@NotDarkGothicMama I have been wondering just the same - thanks for posting.

I also agree totally with @Walkaround about the sacrificial lambs, although I do think in the case of Prince Andrew the rationale for the removal of the title, etc went beyond Epstein and was at least as much to do as his dealings with political and business figures. His judgement is clearly so poor they had to humble him sufficiently he wouldn't be of interest to as a 'mark' anymore.

I’m an atheist but that doesn’t mean there aren’t very clear truths in scriptures written by humans -

‘For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’

Money stood for other things for each of the people involved, but if Epstein had been an average guy working on a market stall he might have committed crimes but he wouldn’t have corrupted so many others.

How can you say they do not have power? Maybe not constitutionally but the power of their name is huge. Look what two of them have got away with - for years!

Politicians however awful or inept are elected by the people and can be unelected.