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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
George Monbiot

At the root of all our problems stands one travesty: politicians’ surrender to the super-rich

Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the inauguration of Donald Trump, Washington, 20 January 2025.
Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the inauguration of Donald Trump, Washington, 20 January 2025. Photograph: Getty Images

There is one political problem from which all others follow. It is the major cause of Donald Trump, of Nigel Farage, of the shocking weakness of their opponents, of the polarisation tearing societies apart, of the devastation of the living world. It is simply stated: the extreme wealth of a small number of people.

It can also be quantified. The World Inequality Report (WIR) 2026 shows that about 56,000 people – 0.001% of the global population – corral three times more wealth than the poorest half of humanity. They afflict almost every country. In the UK, for example, 50 families hold more wealth than 50% of the population combined.

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