Nonfiction

Butler to the World: The Book the Oligarchs Don't Want You to Read - How Britain Helps the World's Worst People Launder Money, Commit Crimes, and Get Away with Anything

Butler to the World: The Book the Oligarchs Don't Want You to Read - How Britain Helps the World's Worst People Launder Money, Commit Crimes, and Get Away with Anything

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-06 17:21:34
  • Update Date：2025-09-09
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Oliver Bullough
  • ISBN：125028192X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Charlotte Dunn ，

Superb。 Really great to read after having the context provided in his Topping’s lecture

Miss Mandie Leigh ，

ARC received！ Thank you to the publisher and the author for the early reading copy。

Jim Rimmer ，

In the first half of 2022 a huge amount of media conversation was being dedicated to how deeply influential Russian oligarchs had become in Britain， largely as a consequence of Putin's February invasion of the Ukraine。 Bullough's book couldn't be more timely。Bit by bit Butler to the World documents Britains further descent from a morally bankrupt empire to a morally bankrupt servant to the world's super rich irregardless of how they came by their ill gotten gains。Little of this will come as a hu In the first half of 2022 a huge amount of media conversation was being dedicated to how deeply influential Russian oligarchs had become in Britain， largely as a consequence of Putin's February invasion of the Ukraine。 Bullough's book couldn't be more timely。Bit by bit Butler to the World documents Britains further descent from a morally bankrupt empire to a morally bankrupt servant to the world's super rich irregardless of how they came by their ill gotten gains。Little of this will come as a huge surprise to anybody who has been paying attention， but the detail and genesis reads like a detective novel with an especially long time frame。 。。。more

Rachel Barry ，

An interesting and eye opening read。 Not sure it’s going to change too many minds， as it’s more of a narrative than evaluative style， but it certainly achieves the goal of shining a light on the harm done by British service industries， and the narrative tool of the butler helps cut through an otherwise complex problem

Ted Richards ，

Exploring the way in which Britain services oligarchs， builds tax havens and launders money， Oliver Bullough presents a startling， if sometimes overdramatic， picture of current policy on economic crime。 This is a polemic， let's get that out the way to start。 It takes a strong anti-UK Government stance， going back to 1956 Suez Canal Crisis and almost constantly portraying the government as inept， corrupt and servile。 I get the feeling the latter adjective is the one which might stir up the most S Exploring the way in which Britain services oligarchs， builds tax havens and launders money， Oliver Bullough presents a startling， if sometimes overdramatic， picture of current policy on economic crime。 This is a polemic， let's get that out the way to start。 It takes a strong anti-UK Government stance， going back to 1956 Suez Canal Crisis and almost constantly portraying the government as inept， corrupt and servile。 I get the feeling the latter adjective is the one which might stir up the most St。 George's Cross rage。 Bullough takes his approach so strongly that even I found it over the top at times。 The trouble is that if you are constantly finding ways to call out government over the span of 70 years， you begin to get the feeling as a reader that you are purposefully not being given the full picture。 And you aren't。 This is not a comprehensive book， it does not cover every part of financial and economic crime， nor does it offer much evaluation。 Instead， Bullough cracks wise， points in horror and recounts shocking stories。 There is nothing wrong with this per se， but personally I would have preferred a more evaluative or analytical approach。 This is a serious topic， in demand of more attention， in the same vein as legal access and harmful identity politics。 Authors like Bullough， such as The Secret Barrister or David Baddiel， serve an important purpose for broaching these topics but rarely do they offer something particularly profound。 People looking for the worst will find it here， their bias will be satiated， they will huff， and move on。 Admittedly， this is a broader， more cynical， criticism of this type of book rather than the book itself。 On that note， this is great。 Bullough argues well and with a lot of wit。 It's nice to read a book on financial crime which works so hard to keep the reader's attention。 A similar thing happened in the 2000's with Climate Change literature and hopefully this will spark wider discussions on Britain's abhorrent record of servicing financial crime。 The first few chapters cover a good bit of pop history， interweaving personal stories and grander historical trends。 Of particular interest were the chapters covering the British Virgin Isles and Gibralter， respectively。 There's a certain amount of 'gotcha' journalism， but it's never quite as cringe inducing as it can be。 A really great chapter comes about through Bullough's investigation into Scottish Limited Partnerships， which is eye opening and does a good job maintaining the reader's attention。 Unfortunately the final few chapters， with the exception of the one on money laundering， do feel a little slow。 Bullough seems to run out of steam， and a particularly punishingly long chapter took me ages to get through。 Overall， I do really hope this reaches a wide audience。 It's new， so there's a chance the paperback will be released in time to fit in someone's stocking。 Just go in expecting a solid overview， and you'll be pleased， I think。 。。。more

Dan Callaghan ，

From the author who wrote Moneyland （which discusses the methods through which criminal money is hidden offshore）， this book focuses more on the UK’s role in this process， and the role of British colonies。The detail is fantastic on what actually occurs and why the system is so problematic。 The historical detail is the best part of this - since the author drills down into how the UK began to offer financial services， both in the homeland and in the colonies。 Essentially it all started in the 50s From the author who wrote Moneyland （which discusses the methods through which criminal money is hidden offshore）， this book focuses more on the UK’s role in this process， and the role of British colonies。The detail is fantastic on what actually occurs and why the system is so problematic。 The historical detail is the best part of this - since the author drills down into how the UK began to offer financial services， both in the homeland and in the colonies。 Essentially it all started in the 50s with the Eurodollar market - when the City saw a niche where it could keep itself at the centre of the global financial system by offering US dollars （to which the entire world was at that point pegged， due to the Bretton woods system） without the concomitant US financial regulations and capital controls that hindered global commerce。Where the book fails to convince is in the proposed solutions - most of which are focused on the UK unilaterally opting out of large swathes of the financial services industry， without any convincing argument about how that will do anything other than shifting these services to other jurisdictions。 Having said that， it offers great food for thought and is an in depth look at the problem we now have， and how we got here。 。。。more

Ula Tardigrade ，

An interesting continuation of the best-selling “Moneyland”。 This time the author takes a deeper dive into the British way of helping rich people to hide their fortunes， no questions asked。 The story is appalling and leaves you with a healthy dose of skepticism about the latest declarations of the British government cutting ties with Russian oligarchs。 However， the level of detail can leave a reader a little bit exhausted。 In some chapters， even the author’s lively journalistic style couldn’t ma An interesting continuation of the best-selling “Moneyland”。 This time the author takes a deeper dive into the British way of helping rich people to hide their fortunes， no questions asked。 The story is appalling and leaves you with a healthy dose of skepticism about the latest declarations of the British government cutting ties with Russian oligarchs。 However， the level of detail can leave a reader a little bit exhausted。 In some chapters， even the author’s lively journalistic style couldn’t make engaging parts devoted to financial mechanisms deployed by various enterprising people and institutions， I appreciate the research but I think that the book would profit from some editorial cuts。 But it is certainly essential reading for anyone dealing with global finances and geopolitics。 Thanks to the publisher， St。 Martin's Press， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more

Nicole Lajambe ，

Surprisingly， I really enjoyed it。 I will admit at first I thought to myself that it would be over my head， the kind of book where it just keeps dragging but it began to make sense to me。 It followed nicely and it definitely is an eye opener。 I won this book on Bookread and I’ m really glad I did。

David ，

The pestilence is rife。

Keith ，

Depressing， but well-researched and written。

Sam Dye ，

It took the unique focus of the author to pull all of this information together and we are all better for his efforts。 I look forward to reading his other books。

Mo ，

An unsettling read of how London is now drowning in corruption。 Money laundering， tax dodging and welcoming to criminals from every corner of the world。 Well researched and very unsettling。

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer ，

A rather timely and easy to read investigative journalistic style account of the role of Britain and many of its dependencies （for example the British Virgin Islands and Gibraltar） in facilitating （via financial services， legal assistance， legislation and by a lack of investigation） various oligarchs， kleptocrats and other activities （including gambling）。The author （perhaps not fully convincingly） traces this back to Britain’s search for a role post Suez （perhaps slightly ignoring London’s role A rather timely and easy to read investigative journalistic style account of the role of Britain and many of its dependencies （for example the British Virgin Islands and Gibraltar） in facilitating （via financial services， legal assistance， legislation and by a lack of investigation） various oligarchs， kleptocrats and other activities （including gambling）。The author （perhaps not fully convincingly） traces this back to Britain’s search for a role post Suez （perhaps slightly ignoring London’s role as a centre of global trade and finance for a long time before that）。 He perhaps also rather over-does the Jeeves/Butler metaphor。 Less arguably and almost forensically he demolishes many of the arguments used to excuse British inaction by contrasting them to what occurs in the USA。I would be surprised not to see this book featuring on a number of non-fiction prize lists over the next 12 months。 。。。more

R Davies ，

Lucid readable prose， and a miserably depressing， if rather predictable outcome。 We lose the empire but still insist on being relevant。。。 by being the most amoral facilitators of kleptocracy going。 Even the americans with their love of filthy dollars thought the british practices were too much。 I mean it's all so hugely depressing。 Suspect as ever if you suspected this already you'll find it compelling and absorbing。 If you don't like anyone saying anything remotely mean about ENGURLAND etc you' Lucid readable prose， and a miserably depressing， if rather predictable outcome。 We lose the empire but still insist on being relevant。。。 by being the most amoral facilitators of kleptocracy going。 Even the americans with their love of filthy dollars thought the british practices were too much。 I mean it's all so hugely depressing。 Suspect as ever if you suspected this already you'll find it compelling and absorbing。 If you don't like anyone saying anything remotely mean about ENGURLAND etc you'll dismiss it as propaganda finger in your ear style as seems to be the way anyone even vaguely hints that we're not a remotely remarkable country anymore。 Well， I mean we are， but not in the way those ludicrous people living in wish-fulfillment land seem to think 。。。more

Kenny ，

A good read， an accessible read， a timely and topical read。 If anything my criticism would be that it ended just as it felt like it had really got going。

Kevin McMahon ，

What a fantastic， well researched and horrifying book on the level of corruption that the UK is at the centre of。 I just couldn't put this one down even though I had some knowledge of BVI， Gibraltar and all the rest。The frustration is that nothing will ever change in this country。 What a fantastic， well researched and horrifying book on the level of corruption that the UK is at the centre of。 I just couldn't put this one down even though I had some knowledge of BVI， Gibraltar and all the rest。The frustration is that nothing will ever change in this country。 。。。more

Ollie Cramer ，

Critical reading to understand Britain's pivotal role in the modern geo-political landscape。 A continuation of Bullough's sobering expose 'Moneyland'， 'Butler to the World' takes the reader on a journey of "Butler Britain"。 This paints an unfortunate and depressing picture of what the UK's current role is on the global stage。 Britain will do anything for anyone， if the price is right - and we'll do it better than anyone else。 Like Bullough's Moneyland this book does a great job of explaining the Critical reading to understand Britain's pivotal role in the modern geo-political landscape。 A continuation of Bullough's sobering expose 'Moneyland'， 'Butler to the World' takes the reader on a journey of "Butler Britain"。 This paints an unfortunate and depressing picture of what the UK's current role is on the global stage。 Britain will do anything for anyone， if the price is right - and we'll do it better than anyone else。 Like Bullough's Moneyland this book does a great job of explaining the modern financial world through the lense of extremely wealthy individuals and Oligarchs。 Although the most relevant section today is the bit on Ukranian and Russian kleptocrats and their wealth in Britain， it also shows how Britain and it's overseas territories built a strong tax-free gambling industry， the negative impact of this and finally， the implications of the NCA's underfunding （hint: it's not good）。 Fortunately， it's not just London （and its overseas territories） who's culpable， the Scottish are also in on it too！The lack of meaningful discourse by Britain's political and media establishment of these issues is truly depressing， especially in light of what is happening in Ukraine。 This should mandatory reading for all British politicians。 。。。more

Popup-ch ，

Bulloughs theme is that in the post-WWII decades Britain lost an empire - but found a new role。 That role was 'butler to the world'， i。e。 helper， enabler and general problem-solver to anyone who could afford it。There are plenty of references to the 'Gentleman's personal gentleman' extraordinaire， the Jeeves who gets Bertie Wooster out of any scrap， be it with family， club statutes or the law。 Britain has now got a new cadre of enablers， who exist to facilitate any kind of service for whoever can Bulloughs theme is that in the post-WWII decades Britain lost an empire - but found a new role。 That role was 'butler to the world'， i。e。 helper， enabler and general problem-solver to anyone who could afford it。There are plenty of references to the 'Gentleman's personal gentleman' extraordinaire， the Jeeves who gets Bertie Wooster out of any scrap， be it with family， club statutes or the law。 Britain has now got a new cadre of enablers， who exist to facilitate any kind of service for whoever can pay for it - no questions asked about the provenance of the lucre。 A part of the problem is that various bits and pieces of the former empire， such as the British Virgin Island， the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar， not to mention Jersey and Guernsey retain significant fiscal and juridic independence， and can thus undercut each other in terms of compliance and transparency。 But it's not limited to those offshore havens。 The whole idea of Scottish Limited Partnership （where the owner can stay anonymous） has become visible recently， and instead of limiting its use， the same 'features' were allowed in the rest of the UK using the new vehicle Private Fund Limited Partnership。 In theory the financial sector is overseen by plenty of regulators， but they are chronically understaffed and overworked。 。。。more

Sophie ，

Another eye-opening read from the author of Moneyland: Why Thieves and Crooks Now Rule the World and How To Take It Back。 I wish the book had been a little longer - perhaps the pandemic is to blame - but he covers a variety of interesting topics and exposes how they are part and parcel of a broader picture。 I thought the second half of the book was the strongest， from chapter 6 （"The Scottish Laundromat"） to chapter 9 （"'Justice'"）。 He is adept at taking a dry legal concept （Scottish limited par Another eye-opening read from the author of Moneyland: Why Thieves and Crooks Now Rule the World and How To Take It Back。 I wish the book had been a little longer - perhaps the pandemic is to blame - but he covers a variety of interesting topics and exposes how they are part and parcel of a broader picture。 I thought the second half of the book was the strongest， from chapter 6 （"The Scottish Laundromat"） to chapter 9 （"'Justice'"）。 He is adept at taking a dry legal concept （Scottish limited partnerships， say， or private prosecutions） and turning it into a juicy story。 I didn't particularly agree with his reading of PG Wodehouse， but that feels like a minor quibble set against the weight of the themes he is exploring here。 This is a book with some pretty dark moments but it's utterly compelling and it's changed how I think about these issues。 。。。more

=^。^= Janet ，

Publication date: June 14， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple books a day！SYNOPSIS*****************In his forceful follow-up to Moneyland， Oliver Bullough unravels the dark secret of how Britain placed itself at the center of the global offshore Publication date: June 14， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple books a day！SYNOPSIS*****************In his forceful follow-up to Moneyland， Oliver Bullough unravels the dark secret of how Britain placed itself at the center of the global offshore economy and at the service of the worst people in the world。The Suez Crisis of 1956 was the nadir of Britain's twentieth century， the moment when the once-superpower was bullied into retreat。 "Great Britain has lost an empire and not yet found a role，" said Dean Acherson， a former US secretary of state。 Acheson's line has entered into the canon of great quotations: but it was wrong。 Britain had already found a role。 The leaders of the world just hadn't noticed it yet。Butler to the World reveals how Britain came to assume its role as the center of the offshore economy。 Written polemically， but studded with witty references to the butlers of popular fiction， it demonstrates how so many elements of modern Britain have been put at the service of the world's oligarchs。The Biden administration is putting corruption at the heart of its foreign policy， and that means it needs to confront Britain's role as the foremost enabler of financial crime and ill behaviour。 This book lays bare how London has deliberately undercut U。S。 regulations for decades and calls into question the extent to which Britain can be considered a reliable ally。As soon as I heard that the Marble/Admiralty Arch had a home going for sale for £150MILLION I thought OLIGARCH。 And not necessarily a friend of Putin as there are plenty of UAE and Asian citizens who have hou$$$$e$$$$ in London as they can park their money there and never actually live there！ （Think the Candy brother's One Hyde Park and their iceberg homes 。。。 https://www。businessinsider。com/biogr。。。 ）But it is not just real estate as this excellently written book shows。 I am not sure if this makes Britain a "bad ally" but it does make them LOOK bad。 The current situation with Putin's allies and the UK looking into seizing their assets looks good on paper and will make this book relevant for years on end once this dirty war is over。 A great read for fans of history， finance and world matters。 。。。more

Richard Block ，

Britain's Soul SacrificeOliver Bullough's latest expose on UK financial crime digs deeper even than his wonderful Moneyland， straight into Britain's soul and uncovers a deeply greedy and subservient butler to the worst people in the world。 Having lost the Empire， Britain's elite turns the skills and culture it developed over hundreds of years of plunder and sells them piecemeal to today's plundering scum from all corners of the planet， especially from the former Soviet Union。 In Moneyland， Bullo Britain's Soul SacrificeOliver Bullough's latest expose on UK financial crime digs deeper even than his wonderful Moneyland， straight into Britain's soul and uncovers a deeply greedy and subservient butler to the worst people in the world。 Having lost the Empire， Britain's elite turns the skills and culture it developed over hundreds of years of plunder and sells them piecemeal to today's plundering scum from all corners of the planet， especially from the former Soviet Union。 In Moneyland， Bullough reveals the moneyed stateless plunderer。 In Butler， he examines the leading enablers of Moneyland - which takes him to the heart of Britain。This book is well researched， charmingly written， and if you hear it on Audible， wonderfully presented by Bullough himself。 Not only did Britain start 'off shore' with Eurodollars and the creation of the British Virgin Islands as a tax haven， but honours corrupt plunderers， enables their property money laundering and defends their interests in court for profit。 While the US is the policeman， looking to lock these guys up， Britain is the Butler， servicing the plunderers in any way。 Britain is a role model for correct civilised life and， at the same time， a well paid prostitute for the oligarchs and kleptocrats of world。With the war in Ukraine raging in the background， this makes the Johnson governments bullish statements about being tough on oligarchs sound even more awful than you can imagine。 Excellent， recommended book。 If Catherine Belton likes it （author of Putin's People） you bet its great 。。。more

Hannah H ，

Kleptopia is a much better read！

Nick ，

Depressing really。

Mike Bessant ，

If you're going to read one book this year， this should be the one。 A forensic takedown of Britain's corrupt financial system。 Riveting， depressing。 Should be required reading for every politician and policy maker。 If you're going to read one book this year， this should be the one。 A forensic takedown of Britain's corrupt financial system。 Riveting， depressing。 Should be required reading for every politician and policy maker。 。。。more

Matt Heath ，

Riveting， an unexpected page-turner。

Becky ，

One of those titles， like Fake Law， that should be required reading for every public official， as well as for anyone wanting to understand the state of the nation。 Magisterial。

Henri ，

I’ve enjoyed this。 Certainly not as much as Moneyland from same author but fantastic nonetheless。 Book pretty much just walks people through the development of the process of sheltering dirty money in the west throughout chapters on Suez， British Virgin Islands， Gibraltar， Scotland etc， all through the colourful but still detail oriented anecdotes from people who helped or fought the entrenchment of dirty money in Britain。 All the more relevant with events unfolding in Ukraine as some of that mo I’ve enjoyed this。 Certainly not as much as Moneyland from same author but fantastic nonetheless。 Book pretty much just walks people through the development of the process of sheltering dirty money in the west throughout chapters on Suez， British Virgin Islands， Gibraltar， Scotland etc， all through the colourful but still detail oriented anecdotes from people who helped or fought the entrenchment of dirty money in Britain。 All the more relevant with events unfolding in Ukraine as some of that money has been financing Russian tanks。 One massive Jeeves and Wooster analysis running throughout the book though and I found that allusion bit repetitive。Highly recommended。 。。。more

Richard Wilson ，

In his books on Russia， he attacks，denigrates， belittles and accuses Russia of crimes against humanity。 But， England is a butler， her empire was one ofmthe worst on earth， the deadliest lerhaps ever。 The Indian famines， yes plural！ Mau Mau， Ireland， Scotland， The British Empire was an empire of shit， but Bullough thinks its cute。