<nettime> The other cleavage

[Morlock Elloi <morlockelloi@gmail.com>]

Piketty analyses the rise of multiple-elite systems in "Brahmin Left vs 
Merchant Right: Rising Inequality & the Changing Structure of Political 
Conflict (Evidence from France, Britain and the US, 1948-2017)" -  full 
paper at http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/Piketty2018.pdf

and concludes with:

"It would be naïve however to imagine that universal suffrage in itself 
has permanently brought a different type of equilibrium. Unequal access 
to political finance, medias and influence can contribute to keep 
electoral politics under the control of elites. The class-based party 
system that emerged in the mid-20th century was due to specific 
historical circumstances, and proved to be fragile as social and 
economic structures evolved. Without a strong and convincing 
egalitarian- internationalist platform, it is inherently difficult to 
unite low-education, low-income voters from all origins within the same 
party."

It's a long paper, rather boring as it sticks to the observable reality 
and refuses to offer the easy way out, but shorter than "Capital in the 
21st century".

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