Here’s my take on who controls the world. Hint – it’s not who you think.
They
Have you heard what They are planning next? They want to control you and make you subservient. They keep you from achieving your dreams and they don’t care about you.
You read and hear things like this in online chatrooms, social media or in bars. Idle chat maybe, but just who are They? Who does control the world?
Let’s have a look at some of the contenders for who They are.
The Monarchy
If you live in a constitutional monarchy like the UK, then the top of the pile would be the monarchy. Ever since the Norman Duke William conquered England the country has been ruled by a hereditary monarch. (Before that the monarch could be nominated – hence the kerfuffle of 1066). Before Magna Carta (1215), you could say the monarch was in sole charge. However, since then their actual power has diminished, gradually to a point whereby, they have ceremonial power. Their actual power is kept in check by the government, which is strange because the monarch, in theory, appoints the Prime Minister, but it is Parliament which forms the government. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority. So in effect the voters choose their leader.
Government
Ok so if the monarch is not in charge what about the government, then? Are they in charge? Well yes and no. In theory the government can set budgets and propose new laws. However, as we have seen recently if the banks don’t agree with the budget, they can quickly remove a prime minister by manipulating the currency markets. Political pressure will then do the rest.
Also, a government is beholden to the back benchers in their party. If the back benchers don’t like a policy they can rebel, again putting political pressure on the government.
Then there’s the Civil Service – ‘the blob’ as it is known. A bureaucratic collection of unelected officials who can put obstacles in the way of legislation. Sometimes its just the glacial way of central government that makes it is hard to get anything done at all.
If the government does get a bill through the House of Commons, it can then fall fowl of the House of Lords, that bastion of hereditary privilege and political cronyism. Is the House of Lords in charge? No. They have the power of veto and to prevaricate. Little else.
Finally, our first past the post system of parliamentary elections has some faults but one of the important things about it is that every five years or sooner, the government must call a General Election. If they are unpopular, they can be booted out of office, overnight. Once the results are in, a losing Prime Minister must resign to the monarch, that very morning. No slow handover – gone.
Police and army
The police and armed forces are here to protect the population from crime and threat. They only have the power to carry out that mandate. They are not autonomous and so they can’t be judged to be in charge. Who next then?
Judiciary
The judiciary are powerful. They have the power to lock people up after all. They can ensure the law is exercised, but they can’t make the law. That can only be done by act of parliament. No, they are also not in charge, but they can influence through the power of precedence. Talking of influence.
Mainstream media
Mainstream media, by that I mean the television networks and the traditional print media, are influential. Not as much as they were, due to social media. Many social media influencers get millions of views and subscribers, viewing numbers the BBC can only dream of. Yes, they set agendas, but they themselves can be influenced by politicians and commercial sponsors. However, should you choose to, you can decide to switch off and disengage with their content. The influence will simply evaporate. I therefore have more power in my index finger when I press Off, than the Beeb.
Big business
So, if big business can influence the MSM and politicians through donations, surely, they must be in charge. Let’s look at that for a moment.
Customers can decide which company to spend their money at, depending on price, convenience and service i.e. how much value the company is to the individual. In that relationship surely the customer has the power. What about the parents of big business – big finance?
Big finance
Big finance, or the Blackrock and Vanguard of the world, own so much through their investment trusts, that surely, they must be in charge. Maybe, but I don’t see any evidence in my life. In fact, the opposite. If you own a pension or investments in one of their vehicles as many of us do, then you have the power to reinvest somewhere else. Sure it can be a hassle to change your pension provider, but it can be done.
The shadowy cabal
Aah now we come to it, time to put on those tin foil helmets. Is there a shadowy cabal of individuals and families who control the world. You know, those nameless faces behind the scenes who attend DAVOS and are pulling the levers of power. There maybe something in that, but again I don’t see the evidence. If one turns off mainstream and social media, where are they? They disappear. Are they still lurking? I don’t know.
I do know something though and that is whenever there is a collection of individuals, with the same common interest they will conspire. People conspire; they always have. If you hire a certain plumber because you know a friend of theirs, then you have conspired to the detriment of all other plumbers in your area. Surely if you were fair, you would put the job out for tender. (Joke). At the other end of the scale a politician will give favourable positions to people they trust. They are conspiring. Why wouldn’t they? It would be political suicide if they didn’t.
You are in charge
So, here’s the truth of who is really in charge – you are. You can turn off any media that you disagree with. Swich off the TV and its’ influence disappears. See my post –Why the Media Wants You Scared. Stay on the right side of the law and pay your taxes and you should never feel the long arm of the law. Shop around when you consume goods and services. Don’t settle for shoddy goods and poor service, exercise your power.
Be a floating voter.
Don’t just vote for the party you always have done. They are not your cherished football team who you bind with for life. No, make them work for your vote. If you don’t like what your council, MP or government is doing, then vote for someone else or abstain if you must.
Learn the basics of financial knowledge and how the markets work. Don’t just abdicate your power to financial advisors who are glorified salespeople. Educate yourself.
You are a sovereign human being and if you can read this, then you have the faculties to think for yourself. Spend more time in silence rather than consuming. Let your inner wisdom speak. You have the power; you control your world.