The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It book by Owen Jones

The question of who really rules us, and what they are up to, matters more than ever. Today, at the heart of our democracy, lurks an all-powerful network of people. They are unaccountable and unchallenged. They are making huge profits at our expense. They are the Establishment. Lifting the lid on this shadowy and labyrinthine system that dominates our lives, Owen Jones sets out on a journey into the depths of the Establishment. From off-the-record chats in the lobbies and back streets of Westminster, to posh lunches with bankers and boardroom meetings in towering corporate headquarters, he explores the centres of Establishment power and encounters some of its leading figures. In doing so, he reveals how today's Establishment is bound together by a common mentality, a set of ideas that helps it rationalise and justify its behaviour, from the scandal of MPs expenses, to private companies' scrounging off the state, to the cosy connections between accountancy firms and tax authorities. He shows too how, with no meaningful opposition in its path, the Establishment is amassing wealth and power in a way that has no precedent in modern times. Going through the revolving doors that link these worlds, and exposing 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. It is, he urges, up to us to do so. '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 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 '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 Published By on 2014