I Just overheard all of the following phrases in one three minute phone conversation while on a train journey from Reigate to Redhill: ‘Level one Rolls Royce service, portfolio diversification, risk management, and Intellectual capital.’ There was actually a lot more of what I like to call ‘nonsense business speak’, but I only started taking notes half way through so I can’t remember the rest.

What I didn’t hear was  the bloke on the phone speaking the plain truth – ”I perform no useful function in society, my job involves making the rich richer, and, oh,  I’m on a six figure salary’ – sneer’

This got me to thinking – obviously the new corporate elite and landed old money do incredible harm to people and planet in their power crazed pursuit of wealth, but has anyone actually tried to measure the opportunity cost of their employing some of the best lawyers, accountants, and media creatives in the world to bamboozle, embezel and spin for them?

I mean think how much good lawyers could do working for cost to stop shell polluting, or how much more money some good advertising could bring to development charities. Just how much of the UK’s intellectual capital is spent on keeping the rich rich instead of doing socially useful labour? Any one know?