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22.05.2009 http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107607-
Pravda.Ru
Bilderberg-0
By Hans Vogel
Practically no one has been reporting on the 2009 meeting of the Bilderberg
group in a fancy seaside resort near Athens. The Greek newspaper To
Vima, however, published a list of the 150-odd participants at the
conference. The Guardian has published some articles by Charlie Skelton,
who was incessantly being harrassed by Greek police and even arrested for
trying to do his job as a journalist. Nothing new here, since from the very
beginning, the Bilderberg conferences have been shrouded in secrecy.
Russian-born Daniel Estulin, the man who knows most about the
Bilderbergers and who has published extensively about their wheelings and
dealings, has declared that this year's attendants discussed how to manage
the world economic crisis they allegedly engineered themselves. Basically,
details are unknown, although one may deduct some facts from the
publication, by Wikileaks, of the reports of earlier Bilderberg conferences. I
have no reason to disagree with Estulin, but I would like to suggest some
points to take into consideration.
In case you would be looking for innovative ideas, for ideas on how to cope
with the ongoing crisis, who would you ask: a succesful businessman like
Richard Branson or some incompetent CEO who was foolish enough to
take his bank to the edge of the abyss by buying obscure financial products
from failed US companies such as Lehman Brothers?
There was a significantly strong presence this year of Greeks, Turks and
Spaniards. The Greek participation is expmained by the fact that the
Bilderberg meeting took place in their country. Moreover, Greece is one of
the countries where violent street demonsrations earlier this year have
shaken the government and where the effects of the current crisis are being
felt most acutely. But the Turks? They are the neighbors of the Greeks, but
we may suspect there was a lot of talk of how to get them to join the
“European Union” after all, overriding both official (French) and widespread
popular opposition all over Europe. The Spanish presence, led by their
Greek-born Queen, was also interesting. Coincidentally, Spain has been
affected very badly by the economic crisis, with staggering unemployement
rates, a collapse of the real estate market, and structural, widespread
discontent among the young. For years now, young Spanish men and
women have been unable to find jobs. Over the past years, Spain has had
the highest unemployment rate among the young. It must have been
interesting and disconcerting for the Bilderbergers, to hear about the Greek
and Spanish experience of the effects of the crisis.
The conference participants may have been doing a lot of talking, but we
can be pretty sure imaginative or new ideas, fresh approaches, exciting
concepts, daring proposals were at the very best few and far between. And
even that is probaby a kind assessment. Of course, something new, fresh,
exciting or daring may have been discussed, but then it will not have sprung
from the minds of any of the participants, but rather picked up from one of
their underlings at home.
Now, apart from the current crisis and its effects, what may have been the
topics on the Bilderberg agenda? I suspect one of the main points of
discussion has been the imminent threats to national security, public safety
and governmental stability posed by the crisis. That is why US National
Security adviser James Jones was there along with an NSA-boss
(Alexander), former British spy chief Dearlove and US black leader Vernon
Jordan (“for Heaven's sake let's make sure the Blacks are on our side,”
must have been one of the main reasons for inviting him). There was also
the Dutch minister of justice (Hirsch Ballin) and one Hans Vissers, whose
professional identity may be that of a Dutch police chief. Another topic must
have been the military disaster in Afghanistan, which explains the presence
of both Holbrooke and Petraeus. Their accounts must have been
depressing indeed. At any rate, the prevailing mood at the meeting has
most likely been one of despair and puzzlement.
Clearly, the Bilderbergers are not superior minds, have no moral authority
and are for the most part just “willing executioners,” taking their orders from
higher up and for the rest, groping in the dark, like most people. Why then
are they suspected of wielding a lot of influence? Part of the answer lies in
the fact that the Bilderbergers obviously will not help to destroy the myth of
their might. The more their meetings are kept secret, the tighter the security
that surrounds them, the stronger the myth will be. Let us, for the sake of
argument, assume that indeed the Bilderberg meetings set the political and
economic agenda for the US and Europe. That would mean that those who
ultimately wield the real power—presidents, prime ministers, cabinets,
parliaments—are relying on a disparate group of mediocrities. This may
indeed be the real situation, but it would only emphasize their own
mediocrity and lack of ideas and imagination. Of course, this may actually
be true, but in that case, a revolution making an end to the rule by halfwits
and nincompoops may be a lot nearer than we think. Come to think of it,
perhaps that is why there was such a notable presence of national security
and “intelligence” officials at the Vouliagmeni meeting! At least, the
Bilderbergers are intelligent enough to appreciate the seriousness and the
looming threat of the current crisis. There is still hope!