Reddit reviews The Establishment

Read this -> Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class

Swiftly followed by this -> The Establishment: And how they get away with it

Short books. Easy to read. Fucking eye opening.

Here's the blurb:

> 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.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Establishment-how-they-get-away-x/dp/0141974990

They have a vested interest in making it look fair. 'it look' being key.
They will always side with the government on important issues but will throw a dog a bone every now and then.

Good book on the subject
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0141974990/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451727521&sr=8-1&pi=SL75&keywords=the+establishment

The establishment

I think you would be well served by The Establishment: And How They Get Away With It. Quite apart from anything else, I regard it as vital for understanding politics in this country, and to an extent worldwide, but your posts in particular are asking questions which this book is made to answer. Buy it and read it; it is worth every penny. Even if you come to disagree with everything that he says (unlikely), you will at least know.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Establishment-how-they-get-away-x/dp/0141974990

Well…

As to those with absurd views, like those about lizards, I would likely ignore them. However, to suggest that readings of New Labour as having conservative tendencies is anything like believing people in power are secretly lizards is itself the sort of claim that I would normally like to ignore... (and which you would mock).

Moving on...

Note first that you’ve yet again conflated Conservative with conservative. I’ve never maintained that New Labour was a Conservative party, only that in many respects it was conservative. Think of the following aspects: privatisation of public assets, anti-trade union reform, income tax cuts for the wealthy. All of these things indisputably occurred under Blair, and they were an extension of the kind of conservative approach to economics and politics that Thatcher introduced. It’s neoliberal ideology in practice, and neoliberalism was first advanced by right-wing think tanks and pressure groups.

Consistent with neoliberalism, big business effectively lobbied Blair’s Labour MPs, and this was really quite unprecedented for Labour. There were many well-publicised scandals about this—I didn’t mention Hewitt and Hoon for no reason in my earlier posts. Add to it Blunkett, Milburn, (David) Milliband, Byers, and others. They satisfied the demands of certain big business firms, by reducing relevant trade union power, and paving the way for privatisation “reform”; and they really benefitted, personally, from these manoeuvres. This is a matter of public record.

The relationship with right-wing press, facilitated by Blair and Campbell, was also crucial in securing and maintaining New Labour’s power. Blair became Godfather of one of Rupert Murdoch’s children. Strong relationships with media barons and other wealthy individuals were previously the preserve of conservative figures. Yet Mandelson said that he was “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich” and holidayed with a Russian Oligarch (along with a young George Osborne, no less!).

Blair consistently ignored what Trade Union groups had concluded (e.g., demands on renationalising and social housing). His ’97 election pledge included not increasing taxes on the rich; indeed, his reign saw him gradually reduce corporation tax. (Brown was very effective at slashing this.) As you’ll see from another debate in this thread, public spending did increase, which made it look less conservative. Yet, traditional left policies were abandoned here, since public services suffered when privatisation carved out more in-roads than even under Thatcher.

When I said that New Labour was essentially conservative, this is what I meant. They were, in some cases quite transparently, committed to a right-wing political-economic policy in neoliberalism. Any claim as glib and quick as "New Labour were the same as the Conservatives" (note the big 'C') is likely not to be supported by a range of intellectuals. But the subtler point I've been arguing is indeed supported by many. A cursory Google search will help you.

Here are some to get you started:

Bob Jessop

Stuart Hall

Paul Smith

Owen Jones

Of course, there are plenty more besides. And there will be plenty of neoliberals who dispute the key points. But that doesn't take away from these and other authors as presenting an intelligible, respected opinion to the effect that New Labour continued elements of Thatcherism which are right wing in nature. That's a view that you're either misrepresenting (with your big 'C'), or simply laughing at.