PM needs to ensure fair play for all and attack injustices
FOOTBALL’S proposed European Super League is yet another example of the rich getting richer and the poor left to fend for themselves. Wealthy clubs owned by billionaires form a sporting elite that does little to spread the money to smaller clubs and lower leagues.
Boris Johnson came to power in 2019 precisely because he was the anti-elite candidate who could speak to working people fed up with the selfserving machinations of the uber-wealthy and politically well connected.
He was very much the antiCameron, anti-establishment candidate, but he is presiding over an earthquake in popular working class culture.
Top football clubs are now international corporations that seek to dominate the marketplace, sucking money away from smaller competitors.
There is no doubt the dynamic behind the new league is to reach global audiences in developing markets such as China or India. These super teams are more interested in appealing to TV viewers in Shanghai than English fans and have been offered 350 million euros each just to join up.
It is part of a worrying trend in which the wealthy and influential reassert themselves to the cost of the rest of us.
SHOCK votes in 2016 temporarily undermined their cosy consensus, but now big government and big business is back in the driving seat, helped partly by the tragedy of the pandemic shaking out smaller rivals.
David Cameron’s recent lobbying is a shabby example of the politically savvy seeking to profit from their close association with government. Ex-civil servants, ex-MPs are all determined to get rich from their access to power and lucrative taxpayer-funded contracts. No doubt there will be a stampede from these same greedy hordes to provide the £50billion-ayear infrastructure needed for Boris’s zero carbon revolution.
While ordinary people will end up paying more for home heating, driving and flying abroad, rich companies who know how to milk the public purse will enjoy boom times.
Such an attitude is a betrayal of those poorer voters who took a leap of faith in changing their political allegiance of decades to vote Tory for the first time.
They were tired of the same old platitudes from southern, middle class Labour politicians more interested in politically correct gestures than the nuts and bolts of everyday life.
Despite his Eton and Oxford education, Boris was one of them, talking common sense and looking out for their interests. But now he is in danger of returning to that sanctimonious elite facilitating the enrichment of those close to power. On his watch, digital giants have hollowed out the high street, taxpayers’ money has been splurged on Covid contracts, and the nation’s top teams wanted to form a sporting aristocracy to hoover up billions of pounds in global viewing rights.
Not much levelling up there and a big two fingers to ordinary folk faced with high taxes and higher bills.
In a capitalist society there is little one can or should do to stop private companies making money and if top football teams are happy to ignore the wrath of their fans for greater riches abroad that is up to them. We cannot nationalise teams.
But there is something wholly distasteful about the cronyism exemplified by Cameron and his ilk when former government employees are seen to profit from taxpayer-funded initiatives.Those who voted for Boris are entitled to see their lives enriched a little not exploited by those closer to power. Boris must get back to talking the language of everyday people. They want value for money and a chance to better themselves.
AT THE moment, the meritocracy he promised seems to be fading fast as former politicians and special interest groups gorge on a trough of public money.
But the penny seems to be dropping.The PM clearly understands the anger felt by football fans, to say nothing of that within the game itself, and is showing some courage in taking on the Big Six clubs and the money men behind it.
Now the clubs themselves are beginning to realise their grotesque mistake, with Chelsea and Manchester City pulling out, Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward resigning and Barcelona and Atletico Madrid believed to be changing their minds. What possessed them? So much for the “super league”.
Boris demonstrated that he could react to the people’s concerns when he won over Labour voters and took the Red Wall. If he saves the game of football for this country, that RedWall will be staying Blue.
‘The PM clearly understands the anger felt by most football fans’