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Original poster

To not know who "the elite" are?

175 replies

Fuzzyend · 31/10/2019 11:07

Labour have announced a crusade against "the elite" but I'm not sure who they are.

When I think of elite people I think of sports stars, but I'm guessing Labour haven't got anything against Dina Asher-Smith or the England rugby team. So who the heck are "the elite" and why are they a bad thing?

OP posts:
itsmecathycomehome · 31/10/2019 22:01

"They regularly call out corporations who who avoid paying tax."

"Corbyn irritates me, but I followed the link to his speech, and he was pretty specific about who he meant and why, and gave examples that were pretty hard to object to."

I think I'm just old enough to have heard it all so very many times before, by politicians of all stripes. It would be nice to think that something might actually change this time around.

Monsterinmyfoooof · 31/10/2019 22:35

I'm pretty sure he was referring to elites who dodge tax, not people who just happen to be rich.

MaxNormal · 01/11/2019 05:50

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/oct/31/bat-faces-landmark-legal-case-over-malawi-families-poverty-wages

One of the most profitable companies in the world, off the back of misery, child labour and exploitation.
But yeah keep sneering.

wheresmymojo · 01/11/2019 06:33

I find the idea of disproportionate amount of power interesting...

Who does this include?

wheresmymojo · 01/11/2019 06:37

@Gwenhwyfar I'll definitely give that BBC programme a watch.

Bear in mind though that if those working class kids were successfully they then become the elite. Which is why the whole thing is silly.

I was one of those working class kids. Now people call me the elite as a top 1% earner.

ChardonnaysDistantCousin · 01/11/2019 06:40

It's like the experts in the EU referendum, isn't it?

Iggly · 01/11/2019 06:46

The elite are a made up mythical bogeyman.

The likes of Nigel farage talk of an elite as does priti Patel as does Boris as does Jeremy Corbyn.

Which tells you it means different things to different people.

Personally I think that too much wealth is concentrated in too small a pool.

There is not an infinite supply of money. Because only a handful of people own a massive proportion of wealth, there’s less for those at the very bottom, less for those in the middle.

Those individuals with high wealth did not create that wealth all by themselves so why do they get to keep the majority?

KamikazeIdiot · 01/11/2019 06:57

"The elite" are the people the person speaking doesn't approve of. To me, "the elite" consists of worthless, overprivileged types like Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, David William Donald Campbell, etc., who walk into highly-paid, non-productive jobs on the basis of family connection despite having no talent. To Johnson et al. , "the elite" are rich people who pretend to be concerned about poor people (much like himself, in fact).

Congratulations to auto-correct for trying to change Boris to virus.

ethelfleda · 01/11/2019 07:28

Congratulations to auto-correct for trying to change Boris to virus

Grin
Trewser · 01/11/2019 07:34

I'm pretty sure he was referring to elites who dodge tax, not people who just happen to be rich

Then why not make that clear?

'Elite' is supposed to be a good descriptor although with undertones of snobbery, so it's confusing to use it in a negative way.

EntropyRising · 01/11/2019 07:42

Those individuals with high wealth did not create that wealth all by themselves so why do they get to keep the majority?

Because they took the risk.

itsmecathycomehome · 01/11/2019 07:59

"One of the most profitable companies in the world, off the back of misery, child labour and exploitation.
But yeah keep sneering."

Well BAT has been around for 120 years so plenty of opportunity for politicians to take them to task for unethical practices abroad, yet none of them did.

As long as they are complying with uk laws in the uk, that's the extent of any political involvement here and it's daft to think that will change after 12th October regardless of which party is in power.

Iggly · 01/11/2019 08:00

Er they took risks with other people’s money. And with the support of a stable economy and a government willing to provide support.

So, they need to repay some of that. And reward others down the chain accordingly.

itsmecathycomehome · 01/11/2019 08:08

"Those individuals with high wealth did not create that wealth all by themselves so why do they get to keep the majority?"

Because they had the idea, invented the thing or started the company selling the stuff or service that everyone wants to buy. Because they inherited it from their parents. Because they were recruited to do a job that very few people have the skills to do.

itsmecathycomehome · 01/11/2019 08:09

"Er they took risks with other people’s money. And with the support of a stable economy and a government willing to provide support."

Who are you referring to here? I'm struggling to follow your thinking.

Iggly · 01/11/2019 08:09

I don’t doubt that some wealthy people are very clever etc.

I do doubt they did it all by themselves.

Iggly · 01/11/2019 08:09

I’m thinking of people like hedge fund managers, investment bankers etc when it comes to taking risks with other peoples money.

ChardonnaysDistantCousin · 01/11/2019 08:11

So, they need to repay some of that. And reward others down the chain accordingly.

And they have, in the form of dividends, salaries and taxes. If they haven’t paid their taxes, by all means, go after that but don’t go the full Lenin with the redistribution.

Trewser · 01/11/2019 08:20

So, they need to repay some of that. And reward others down the chain accordingly

If they pay salaries and taxes they do exactly this.

Trewser · 01/11/2019 08:26

The trouble is that the language is so divisive, people are starting not to care that people who are paid well for the most part pay everything that they are supposed to. They aren't doing anything wrong and shouldn't be made to feel as though they are.

nettlefield · 01/11/2019 08:28

They more than likely are referring to what is now their core vote. The fairly well off middle classes. Anyone who earns about 80k. Which, really is not that much.

Wimbledonmam · 01/11/2019 08:30

Honestly you just sound a bit tedious. All those faux humility is a bit galling to the majority who have nothing close to your level of financial stability. A bit too much navel gazing going on I think.

Wimbledonmam · 01/11/2019 08:34

Wrong post. Sorry OP!

Iggly · 01/11/2019 08:35

If they pay salaries and taxes they do exactly this

Many don’t pay decent wages. And certainly not proportional tax on gains.

Why do we need to give benefits to people who already work?

Because they’re underpaid.

getmeacupoftea · 01/11/2019 08:36

The elite are organisations/people that exploit your average worker to enhance profit margins. We're talking extreme profit margins. For example, zero hour contracts, driving up productivity numbers to point of enslavement, etc. (Look at Amazon, and they pay pennies in tax)
So labour isnt going after Dave who owns a cafe and employs a couple of waitresses.
Nor middle class workers or people who went to private school. They want to change the system so a kid who went to private school and a kid who went to state school get the same opportunities in life. Because at the moment, they dont.