Yesterday (June 3rd) was the 50th anniversary of the inception of the Bilderberg Group who marked the occasion at their annual meeting, this year held at the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees in Stresa, Italy. Leaked historical documents illustrate how the Bilderberg Group was instrumental in the formation of the now European Union and introduced the idea of a single European Currency. But whilst the G8 Summit is held in a fanfare of media coverage, Bilderberg meets in comparative secrecy. They will claim there is no secrecy but if there was a summit between any two of the international politicians that attend their meetings there would be reports in most mainstream media.

The guest list this year is formidable and numbers over 120 of America and Europe's most influential politicians, financiers and industrialists as well as figures from royalty. Their agenda is not discussed publicly but any notion of secrecy is dismissed as the machinations of a paranoia. The conspiracy theorists' trap. In 2003 reports claim that in the midst of war in Iraq the future of the Middle East was top of the agenda, and whilst it might be understandable for politicians to concern themselves in this, the involvement of the world's financial power-brokers adds suspicion.

So, why does the attention drawn to the Bilderberg Group's annual meeting attract scornful accusations of conspiracy theory when the G8 attracts thousands of protesters? And why does the BBC in its online magazine article equate anybody who believes in 'the theory that Bilderberg pulls the strings' with the likes of Osama bin Laden, London nail bomber David Copeland and Timothy McVee. Surely not an attempt to portray anybody who questions the legitimacy of this undemocratic power group as mad or evil! Or extremist, left or right wingers, or 'anti-Zionists' - the new trump card in the pack which along with the words 'conspiracy theorist' instantly eliminates any material evidence.

Here are links to the BBC online magazine article, a response from InfoWars (everybody's favourite anti-NWO right wingers), a link to a BBC Radio 4 documentary about the Bilderberg Group meeting in Versailles in May 2003 (also uploaded here) and a link to Tony Gosling's website (described by the BBC as a leftist!) bilderberg.org

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3773019.stm

 http://www.propagandamatrix.com/bbc_radio_4_bilderberg.mp3

 http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2004/060304bilderberghaspower.htm

 http://www.bilderberg.org