In response to an FT article by Martin Wolf on 16th January 2017, entitled ‘Does Trump’s rise mark the end of Davos Man’s influence?’
“Does Donald Trump’s ascent to power in the US mark an end to the influence of Davos Man?... are we about to witness a decisive shift away from the aspirations of the WEF’s members and, if so, is this desirable?...Core beliefs of the Davos creed have been global co-operation and economic globalisation. But faith in the latter was shaken after the global financial crisis of 2007-09…
Some of the projects of the age of global economic liberalisation also went too far — notably heedless financial liberalisation, the imprudent expansion of the eurozone and encouragement of large-scale immigration. Citizenship might not matter that much to many Davos people, but it matters very much to many of their fellow citizens. These mistakes, however, are not nearly as bad as those likely to be made by the new populists…
Davos people are in business: they do not wield the instruments of mass coercion, but rather seek to engage in mutually enriching commercial transactions and believe in the desirability of a peaceful and essentially co-operative world. Elites far more brutal, stupid and damaging than this can all too easily be imagined" – Martin Wolf
Elites more ‘brutal, stupid and damaging’ are already there if you stop kidding yourself all the criminals are already in jail. At your first lunch you'll have no problem spotting several CEOs running TBTF/TBTJ organisations that have bought off the regulators with 'fines'. Look around and you'll probably spot one or two of the 'regulators' too. At dinner keep your eye out for 'defence' contractors who love it when the US/UK is at loggerheads with a bogie man somewhere...otherwise where are the lucrative government contracts going to come from? The crooked politicians are everywhere so pick any corridor to spot a few of those. By the end of the week see if you can spot any 'philanthropists' who specialise in undermining foreign governments in the name of 'democracy'. Not so many of them but look out for a gaggle of excited interns and you’ll soon pick up the scent.
Stop playing games Mr Wolf - if these believers in 'global co-operation' had wanted to 'co-operate' with the people they've been screwing all these years, they would be slightly more popular than a fingernail in a bowl of soup, and someone else would be taking the oath of office on Friday.