Government has always been closely associated with adventuring corporations, from at least the time of the various India Companies.

The universal franchise and the electoral process provide the appearance of a pseduo-democratic mandate.

But as we saw recently in the UK, and as we've seen everywhere in Europe and the US, pretend-left parties always make sure that the interests of financial corporations come first, and that worker populations are farmed to that end.

The nastiness at the moment is based on the corporate realisation that domestic workforces no longer have any economic power. Most work can be done cheaper off-shore, so there's no longer any need to pretend that the working and middle classes can have a seat at the policy table.

The object now seems to be to keep workers cowed and terrified with consumer inflation, decreasing wages, and obvious political bullying and surveillance.

Politically we're already back in the 19th century pre-commune - never mind pre-franchise - days. The only question now is how much worse it's going to get, and how many pols are in on the joke.

Oh - and 'official' economics has never been more than a faked up justification for political repression.

The underlying problem is that elites are defined by their willingness to accumulate power and wealth at any human cost. There's no point expecting them to act differently, because it's who they are and what they do.

The only practical question is how to organise an effective pushback.