We revolt against the idea that elites seek power for its own sake. We are the descendants of the great ideological battles of the 19th and 20th centuries and believe that movements have a purpose. They exist to promote the interests of their class, the workers if they are left wing, the middle and upper classes if they are on the right. Or to develop a vision of the good life. Or to enrich their nation.
Yet for most of history it was taken for granted that rulers were solely concerned with protecting themselves and so it is in Britain today.
