People should have seen by now that I come out ‘fighting’ whenever I see a conspiracy theory. Christopher Hitchens described them as the 'exhaust fumes of democracy'. I think that is quite true since people who appear not to know where they are or going sometime ‘drive’ away from that point leaving quite a lot of ‘bad air’ behind them. a person who believes in one conspiracy theory tends to believe in others; a person who does not believe in one conspiracy theory tends not to believe another. Psychologist Ted Goertzel wrote that a person who believes in one conspiracy theory tends to believe in others, whereas a person who does not believe in one conspiracy theory tends not to believe another. Perhaps true, I am closest to the latter.

For all of that I see two important points that are sometimes overlooked or played down. The first is that people have always tried to explain the absolutely inexplicable or what their culture does not yet understand. From this we have folklore, ‘fairy tales’, myths, legends and so on plus, of course, religions whereby each has its place in human culture. The other is that so often conspiracy theories have grown out of either or both mysticism or drug use. In the 20^th century we have had plenty of examples but the likes of Aldous Huxley and Christopher Isherwood earned a great deal of money from they wrote based on beliefs. Both used ‘mind expansion’ in one form or another. Huxley died on the day Kennedy was assassinated having been administered a rather strong LSD trip by his wife at his request. In one Kennedy conspiracy I read that was noted as part of the plot. The man had been dying of cancer for years, but hey ho, some people just had to imagine him getting from Surrey to Dallas and back from his deathbed…

There is an almost frightening belief in the military-industrial force often known as the New World Order that will eventually take control of the whole world. Wow! Sound dangerous. However it does not take reality into account. I really do not know military history or war studies but I have picked up the fact that when any kind of ‘uprising’ or an ‘insurgency’ by the people becomes a ‘civil war’ it is inevitably at the point at which the powers that be and their supporting factions of the military take sides. So army divides and fights itself. Military personnel, whilst under orders, have personal loyalties and their family, political or ethnic loyalty, religion and so on will predetermine which side they choose. The assumption that some very wealthy people control the lot and in the fullness of time all military in the world will take over everything under the direct command of a rich hegemony spits in the face of reality. So I do not believe that one. Excuse me those who do.

The same goes for the Bilderberg Group. Since the first meeting at the Bilderberg Hotel in Arnhem in 1954 the theories have built up. In fact they are far too open and vulnerable to have anything like the ‘power’ the conspiracy theorists attach to them. Whilst the annual meetings are closed, they have invited participants and speakers who come from their ‘opposition’. I cannot say I have time or sympathy for them but the group is just not secret enough to get away with what people say they are doing.

Sure I believe the principles of the 1% notion of the control of capital that has created the Occupy movement. I know it is not literally 1% and also that it is far more the greed created by aggressive capitalism than any malevolent conspiracy against humanity. In fact, get rid of as many chunks of humanity as some people believe and a very large element of the interest or profits those bankers make will dry up. So that is a self-defeating theory to begin with.

Nonetheless, people wish to argue their corner. So I have started this ‘Conspiracy Corner’ for those of you who wish to discuss or propound those ideas. Some of us might be interested in them because of what we do professionally but do not let that worry you. It is not a conspiracy, just natural human curiosity. So please conspire, argue, agree or disagree, the floor is yours!