One of the supposed advantages of capitalist domination of our economies is that a group of profit seeking elites would at least put their thumb on the scale to stop economic self-owns like Brexit, instead the elites enthusiastically supported it at every juncture.
Excluding actual wars, Brexit is one of the greatest own-goals of all time. Britain and Europe had forged something their finest leaders and intellectuals considered an impossible dream: an alliance of shared prosperity.
Then Britain tore it up in a fit of nativist dipshittery.
Time after time in every era, we find that the wealthy oligarchs *oppose* policies that would lead to faster economic growth and they welcome destructive reactionary economic measures because they'd always rather protect their power than grow their wealth.
That’s because, for the oligarchs, it’s not about absolute wealth, it’s about relative wealth.
They can already buy any things they want.
For the abstract things like impunity, and power, making everyone else poor makes them easier to acquire.
A hungry person will do almost anything for food.
Do you think that they are relying on starving people to work in their underground bunkers when they f*** everything up or will they just steal children and try to brainwash them into believing there is no outside?(Like in the book “Silo”…yes, I read too much sci-fi).
The powerful need to balance the total desperation in the system. Make too many people too desperate and you spend your life trying not to wind up like Mussolini.
Levers like healthcare and education are also very powerful & less likely to lead to pitchforks.
Still, hunger is the ultimate lever.
