Editorial: Epstein shows the degeneracy and greed at the top

From the point of view of the broad sweep of history, people like Jeffrey Epstein, Peter Mandelson, and Prince Andrew are ‘accidental’ figures. They are infamous and well-known, though without particular talent, ability or social value. But they personify the rottenness, misogyny, amorality, decadence and above all the greed that permeate the whole of the capitalist system.

The modern capitalist class is unlike its predecessors of the nineteenth century, who felt themselves to have a historic purpose and justification. Modern capitalists have no confidence in the future of their system. In terms of numbers, they are a tiny, vanishingly small social layer, without any moral compass or purpose, hedonistic and without any sense of social responsibility. They are astonishingly greedy to a man – and they are mostly men – and permanently fixated on power, position and self-enrichment.

Millions of Epstein files have now been released and many of the most relevant links between him and other public figures have been exposed. But many more remain to be released and Trump – who is reportedly mentioned more often than any other public figure – is doing his utmost to limit the fallout.  

Yet the reverberations from Epstein seem to be getting louder by the day, and it is possible the end results will far exceed the those of any other scandal of modern times. In the USA, the ultra-loyal Trump-supporting Justice Secretary, Pam Bondi, is castigated on an almost daily basis in congressional hearings.

There are even some Republican politicians who are vigorously pursuing the issue and it will inevitably have a corrosive effect on Trump’s support – along with the economic chaos he is creating. In the USA, voters will be asking – as politicians in Congress are now doing – why it is that a former prince, the brother of the King, can be arrested in the UK, when no major political figures have been arrested in the US.

In Britain also, the political repercussions are widening. Although Labour’s right wing are desperately trying to distance themselves from Peter Mandelson, they cannot escape the public record – that he was a darling of the right-wing and, with them, an arch conspirator against the Labour left. He is as much integrated into the Establishment in the UK as Epstein was in the United States.

Edward Luce, writing in the Financial Times, described the enormous scope of Epstein’s network:  “This [network] includes the sitting US president and a previous one, big Wall Street figures, a network of Ivy League luminaries, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, foreign government officials, Democrats, Republicans, a Maga influencer, a far left scholar, British and Norwegian royals, wives and girlfriends of powerful men, government lawyers, heads of law firms, movie directors and endless celebrities. Epstein’s network is an MRI of the establishment…” (Financial Times, Feb 3)

Many have lied about their connections to Epstein

Those involved and named in the Epstein files have tried to distance themselves from him, and, like Trump, many have simply lied about how long their connections continued, clearly long after Epstein’s initial conviction and imprisonment for child prostitution. Even while Epsten was still in jail, Peter Mandelson – the ‘Labour’ figure who infamously said “greed is good” and lived up to that motto – was staying in his luxury apartment in Manhattan.

Yet those who participated in Epstein’s social life were not obliged to do so, and it ought to have been easy to refuse, at least for anyone with any moral principles. In 2010, the New York journalist, Tina Brown, replied to her invitation from Epstein with, “What the fuck is this . . .? The paedophile’s ball?” Brown’s reaction could andshould have been everyone’s. “Alas”, Edward Luce writes, that reaction “was all too rare…”

What does this scandal say about capitalist society? It says, first of all, that despite attempts over decades to empower women and to raise their rights, social status and position to the same level as men, the prevailing climate at the top of capitalist society is still the objectification of women and their subservience to the needs of, mostly, rich men. At its heart, the Epstein network was based on the exploitation of vulnerable women and girls, by men, although sometimes facilitated (and then covered up) by women in powerful positions.

Going to great pains to anonymise the men

It is notable that even in the release of the files, great pains have been taken to protect unnamed men – and above all, Trump himself – whereas so many of the names and even photographs of the women who were exploited by Epstein, have been exposed to the world. Far more attention has been paid by the tops of the US Justice system to anonymise the perpetrators than the victims.

This is the part of the Epstein story that is rarely dealt with by the mainstream media. Sympathies have been expressed for his victims, but there is no wider analysis in the press about what it says about the position of women in society and the moral ‘norm’ that has allowed Epstein to happen.

The exploitation of women and girls by Epstein is only the logical end result of the more ‘acceptable’ face of misogyny that is endemic in organisations like the police, and is widespread among social media ‘influencers’ and politicians, and which goes right to the top, to the President of the USA himself.

But the Epstein files also say much about the inter-connectedness of the super-rich and their secretive deals and the mutual support mechanisms that ensure their personal enrichment. Billionaires, oil-dealers, and – as we now know – finance ministers and trade envoys of the UK government all exchange important information to one another in secret.

Capitalism operates behind a veil of secrecy

The issue of the Epstein files and the demand for their full release are not going to go away any time soon. Pam Bondi will be able to hold back the tide, but for only so long. The files and revelations are already increasing the gulf in trust between the general public and professional politicians. “A budding Vladimir Lenin, or Benito Mussolini” Edward Luce wrote in the above-mentioned article, “might see the files as kindling awaiting a revolutionary spark”.

On the face of it, there is a prima face case for both Mandelson and Andrew to be charged with criminal offences and (we would hope) to do jail time. Both of them are alleged to have sent sensitive economic and financial information to Epstein or the associates of Epstein while in a public position.

Like the damage done to Trump’s support in the USA, the undermining of public support for the UK monarchy has yet to work through. The King and his supporters in the media are furiously attempting to draw a tight cordon around Andrew to separate him off from the rest of the royal family. They have no alternative but to throw Andrew under a bus, supposedly as the “one rotten apple”, in order to save the image of the other royals.

But people will not forget that Charles was always aware of his brother’s greed and promiscuousness and the late queen spent millions to buy the silence of one of Andrew’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was brought to London when she was only 17, to have sex with Andrew. The case did not get to court after a reported £12mn pay-off.

Opinion polls show that public support for the monarchy has been eroded as a result of the Epstein affair, and there may be a long way to go yet. The arrest of the first senior royal since 1647 may yet have more profound implications in the longer run.

It is some compensation for the misogyny, greed and corruption at the top to see at least the possibility of men in high positions facing some justice. But it remains to be seen so far, how much ‘justice’ will be served. Apart from strong words, the Democratic Party in the USA is short of actions that would undermine the Trump administration. Whether it is on the criminal activities of ICE, or the failure to release the files on Epstein, the tops of the Democratic Party make appropriate noises, but do nothing to mobilise opposition.

Much as it is in the United States, the Establishment here also looks after its own. Andrew and Mandelson may face public disgrace, but that is about as far as it goes for people like them. They will continue to enjoy a comfortable life-style, on a level that most workers can only dream about – except out of view. It would be a marvellous spectacle to see these two in the dock, and better yet jailed, and for Trump to be dumped from office. But it’s far too soon to call, and until then, we’re not holding our breath.

[Feature photograph from Wikimedia Commons, here]