John Rockefeller is quoted as having stated that “The only question of wealth is, what do you do with it?”

As with any such quotes, it would be easy to knock it per se. But that is always unfair, since taken out of context one can all too easily prove anything by juggling with those words.

Certainly it is right that it is of ethical concern as to how the rich do distribute their wealth. Many would argue that it does not matter, since should a rich person spend (say) a great deal of money in purchasing a football club then the spectators, players, managers, ground staff - and so on - will all benefit from that expenditure. The money is not being put onto a bonfire to end up purely as smoke and ash.

Yet would not there have been far greater benefit if that money was used to dig wells and put in water purification systems in remote Africa - or a similar type of project?

No, where the statement does need questioning is the preceding one: just how was that wealth acquired? Was it by getting excessive money from sales made? Or by paying staff at a lower rate than they should reasonably have expected?

It is rather like looking at an old “stately home” and putting the question up: yes, lovely building, but just who paid for it and how was the money got to finance the building?

This does need developing.