Wealthy and financially healthy lefties love pretending they are not rich

 Growing up in north London I lived among the chattering classes. Yes, those who have dinner parties and think that they know how the country should be run. They know best and they have a better grip on life than anyone else.  Some of them who live in N6, NW3, N2, N10  and N12 often like to think that they are not rich but comfortable.  They are at ease in Zion, happy with their lot in life and rarely admit that they are privileged and perfectly positioned to enjoy a lavish lifestyle.

The fact is that in this modern world of conflict, catastrophe and constraints, they are enjoying a very rich and high standard of living with tremendous benefits, blessings and bonuses.  The haughty of Hampstead and Highgate, the muesli munchers of Muswell Hill and financially secure of Finchley seem to take their privileges and places for granted.

They enjoy very good schools, good access to libraries, cinemas, theatres, cultural events, museums, the Northern Line, great transport links and the lovely lung of London... Hampstead Heath and Kenwood. And the Heath and Kenwood are free for all to enjoy. Fabulous.

North London offers so much, but who can afford to live there? Parking can be hellish but the transport system really helps. Though getting out of north London to Barnet and beyond on a Friday afternoon evening, particularly when the weather is fine, can be frustrating.

I read with interest an article in the Sunday Times about FAME AND FORTUNE.  It seems to me to exemplify this North London phenomenon that I encountered from birth in N2. Someone who says that the last thing they want in life "is to be rich".  But they are by world health and social standards very rich indeed. They are Oxford educated. They live in a four bedroom flat with a huge garden in Ealing. Their husband worked for the Financial Services Authority now the FCA.  This self confessed lefty has the safety net of "extremely rich relatives".  This journalist and TV pundit, with considerable influence, earns good money regularly, and has two children, probably high achievers, who could help with the cash flow problems.

Now add all these factors together and that sounds like someone who is wealthy and financially healthy,  someone who is rich, which of course is the last thing she wants in life.

PS 30/11/2023

I must admit that this journalist is one hundred per cent right and completely on the money in saying:

I know the misery that money causes in families: the fights, the favoured ones, the unfavoured ones. It's a miserable thing to be that rich.

Knives Out?