I have a degree in history, so I am always a sucker for historical parallels, which is why I was particularly taken by Carl Mortished’s Times article, in which he described the current wave of consumer protest – against MPs, bankers and greedy business leaders acting against the interests of shareholders – as ‘A peasants’ revolt’ .
For those who drifted off during their history lessons, the original English Peasants’ Revolt, led by Wat Tyler, occured in 1381. When you study its causes, the parallel’s with today are all too obvious to Mortished: “What irks voters, taxpayers and shareholders is what angered medieval peasants – that the ruling class regards us with contempt. It is the failure to acknowledge the duty owed, the failure of nobles to protect our interests.”