Champagne socialist
A champagne socialist is a derogatory term originating in the UK for a person who purports to support socialism ideologically, but disregards this ideology in the course of their daily lives, having been made successful due to capitalism. The term is pejorative - anyone labelled with it is being accused of hypocrisy and so it is usually used by political opponents of the person being labelled.
The label arose from the (perceived) activity of this stereotype to propose toasts to famous socialists with champagne. However a similar concept, with aristocratic privilege in place of the benefits of capitalism, comes from the nineteenth century philosopher Alexander Herzen, who in From the Other Shore (1855) wrote "It is they, none other, who are dying of cold and hunger ... while you and I in our rooms on the first floor are chatting about socialism 'over pastry and champagne'."
Those who have been labelled as champagne socialists include Geoffrey Robinson, ex-Paymaster General and chairman of Coventry City Football Club, Gavyn Davies, BBC chairman (resigned January 29 2004 over the findings of the Hutton Inquiry), former Labour party donator and Goldman Sachs banker and John Prescott, the current Deputy Prime Minister.
The same concept has different names throughout the world:
See also
