Tuesday, November 01, 2005

The Predators who rule the world

The robber barons of old ruled their world. Today’s robber barons are much more powerful than those earlier titans, and they appear to be all but unbeatable.

The planet is owned and ruled by the same people; not the heads of State, but the owners of the capital. State governments, if unyielding to the superior power of the capitals, run the risk of becoming figureheads in the claws of the neoliberals. Do what we tell you to do or we will unmask the vacuum behind your façade. Some leaders try courageously to prove their freedom of action, up to a point, but even socialists have turned towards what is to be seen as the new socialism – Gerhard Schroder, or the New Labour – Tony Blair. There is no real 'left' any more --anywhere.

Europe is regressing towards the feudal era when individuals had no rights. They were work horses for the lords who owned the land and later, in the industrial era, for those who owned the factories. Once again, individual rights are seen as having no reason for existance, since invincible market forces dictate the state of the planet. According to the neoliberal predators, considering individuals and their needs, except as pawns in their planetary game of creating obscene wealth for the very few, is unscientific and unreasonable.

The men and women seated at the top of the world are ruthless gamblers who don’t hesitate to destroy each other and all the people dependent on them for their livelihood, if it's in the interest of profit. The gambling instinct rules the planet though the dice are heavily loaded.