Better Future with Michael Mezz 005 - Grace Blakeley on Power, Inequality, and How Elites Captured Capitalism
Oct 22, 2025
Grace Blakeley, a UK-based political economist and author of Vulture Capitalism, delves into the collusion between political and corporate elites, arguing the system serves the few rather than the many. She highlights how corporate lobbying stifles reforms and illustrates the moral hazards of neoliberal capitalism. Blakeley critiques the notion that rich people create jobs and discusses how ordinary workers bear the real risks. The conversation also touches on the necessity of union power and collective action to reshape economic and political landscapes.
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System Working As Designed
- Economic and political systems are not "broken"; they function to serve elites who built them.
- Power concentration among billionaires and technocrats produces outcomes that benefit them, not the majority.
Ideas Follow Class Power
- Shifts in economic policy follow changes in class power, not abstract ideas alone.
- Social democracy rose from organized labor power; neoliberalism rose from finance and vested interests.
Boeing: Regulation Collides With Corporate Power
- The Boeing 737 MAX case shows regulators and corporations can collude, causing deadly outcomes.
- Boeing was simultaneously the largest recipient of corporate welfare and shielded by government ties.
