James Corbett – In a surprising moment of self-awareness, Wolfgang Münchau just published an editorial in the Financial Times comparing the gatekeepers of the “global liberal order” (the FT included) to Marie Antoinette and the House of Bourbon, blindly “let them eat cake”ing their way toward their own guillotine.
Münchau knows of what he speaks; as associate editor of the Financial Times he is in the unenviable position of acting as the spokesman for the banksters ensconced in the City of London. And in case you haven’t noticed, the banksters aren’t exactly the most popular people in the world right now. But don’t take my word for it, take his:
“Some revolutions could have been avoided if the old guard had only refrained from provocation. There is no proof of a ‘let them eat cake’ incident. But this is the kind of thing Marie Antoinette could have said. It rings true. The Bourbons were hard to beat as the quintessential out-of-touch establishment.
“They have competition now.
“Our global liberal democratic establishment is behaving in much the same way. At a time when Britain has voted to leave the EU, when Donald Trump has been elected US president, and Marine Le Pen is marching towards the Elysée Palace, we — the gatekeepers of the global liberal order — keep on doubling down.”
Now I think we all understand what is happening here: A demoralized and disoriented would-be ruling class, reeling from the fact that they are no longer able to control the narrative that shapes public perception of the world, is looking to re-legitimize themselves by re-connecting with the public.