The Managerial Musical Chairs – Always a Seat for Them
When ordinary people lose a job, they scramble. When the managerial class loses one, they upgrade. Different title, different office, bigger bonus. For them, the music never stops.
The Game Nobody Explains
The managerial class is a club: CEOs, consultants, senior bureaucrats, ex-generals. They rotate across finance, government, and Big Consultancy. Blow up a bank? Become a government adviser. Botch a public project? Get promoted sideways. Retire from the army? Land on a defence board. Failure is rebranded as “experience.”
A Cosy Club
It’s not a conspiracy; it’s networking with a safety net. The same CVs loop through boardrooms, think tanks, ministries, and “independent” panels. The merry-go-round spins, and the same people always ride — while invoices land on taxpayers and shareholders.
Consultants: Wizards Without Risk
Consultants arrive with buzzwords — “synergies,” “transformation,” “efficiency” — produce glossy decks, then vanish with day rates that could fund a nurse’s salary for a month. If it fails, they “only advised.” The bill stays with you.
Politics: The Final Stop (or Just a Pit Stop?)
For some, politics is the destination. For others, it’s a branding exercise before the next corporate gig. Regulators join the firms they once policed; ministers slide into lobbying jobs. Accountability dissolves into career management.
Why It Matters
This revolving door isn’t just irritating — it erodes trust and concentrates power.
- Accountability dies when failure pays.
- Expertise becomes theatre — credentials without consequence.
- Costs rise for workers, taxpayers, and small businesses while the club collects fees and parachutes.
The rest of us? We’re the ones left standing when the music stops.
FAQ
What do you mean by “managerial musical chairs”?
The endless rotation of the same elites between government, corporations, consulting and lobbying — usually failing upward.
Is this corruption?
Not the brown-envelope kind. It’s systemic and legal: revolving doors, soft landings, friendly appointments, captured oversight.
Who pays for it?
Taxpayers (public contracts, bailouts), shareholders (parachutes, buybacks), and workers (stagnant wages, outsourced jobs).
Why do consultants feature so heavily?
They provide cover: dense jargon, glossy reports, and “best practices” that justify decisions — with zero skin in the game.
What breaks the cycle?
Real cooling-off periods, transparent procurement, smaller organisations that are easier to scrutinise — and voters who stop rewarding theatre.
