The ascendancy of the 1% has been stalled by the revolt of the abandoned, alienated and excluded, symbolised by Brexit and Trump, Islamic State and the mass trek of millions desperate for a better life, away from poverty and war.

The revolt of the abandoned reflects the insecurity and corruption of the global economy, which in turn reflects the basic instabilities of neoliberal capitalism and the rising imbalances of economic globalisation.

Class analysis, adapted to contemporary globalisation, provides useful insights into Brexit against a background of global instability and slowing growth. At one pole is the transnational capitalist class, a richly networked, self-aware class comprising the owners and managers of transnational corporations and their political hangers-on (the 1%).  Counter-posed to the 1% are the much more dispersed, and nationally oriented working classes, middle classes and marginalised classes.