I don't like the politics of 'Rich v Poor'. 'The poor' are disempowered, but often those fighting for them do so in a divisive ("Punch Up"), and condescending way. The poor don't need representation by others as much as they need unfair obstacles to be taken out of their way. A lot of what we have, our 'endowment' of talents and social capital, is pure luck. Where we are born. Who our parents are. The random experiences we have, and people we meet. Pitching it as a "Civilising Mission" leads to people offering (their) solutions to situations they themselves have never been in. Rather, from behind a veil of ignorance (i.e. not knowing what the luck of birth will give us), we should want to maximise the minimum resources available to everyone. Then people, and communities, can represent themselves. Power matters, yes. But it isn't a fight, it is a case of seeing the power that already exists, and releasing it.
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