The "naked" City

The City, Wall street, etc, were a bit worried by the revolution in russia, in 1917.
Democracy didnt seem much of a protection. . . . the voters were dying in droves, but worse, those that came back were a tad more critical of the status quo after their experiences.To say the "City" felt lacking in armour was the understatement of the year. This is the usual way that tale is told. Then segue to the creation of the "Leagues", etc.

( It is worth pointing out two other factors though, at least, despite their immateriality to the crux of this tale. One, the actual horror was the late 1800s break up of the biggest oil corporation in the USA - or the election speeches of certain liberal, but establishment types in the UK * who were FAR from "labour" OR bolshies. Reform was often the ACTUAL "enemy". Two, the powers, in fact, the HABIT of "the kings bodyguard" types to "increase the bosses paranoia for a bigger paypacket" had swapped from old aristos to the new "industrial" barons.
The shutting of certain over-gung-ho bunches of international "lefty-busters" by the french parliament pre-WW1 for blowing up citizens then shouting that they were the sort of people that could sort out THAT sort of thing - though documented - was far from the single misuse of that sort of role in those days. There were good reasons why old Tsarist "secret watchers" were aimed at the Court, most, THEN the people. Intrigues a-go-go were almost deriguer. Looking at "History" its almost as if you werent doing them or thinking about them you werent properly dressed.
Then, somehow, the "defence of the realm" crews attention was distracted to a few thinking poor people as "the problem" - probably a relief to the "watchers" but much more of a relief to the barons, old, new, industrial, aristocratic - or - self invented. As the old "WEIGHTS, MEASURES, REGULATIONS" departments were subsumed into the new "LOOK OUT - POOR PEOPLE!" departments, to say that fraud BOOMED was also to seriously understate the problem.**)

Of course, we are also told, the "Leagues" wound up in the thirties.
Of course. What with the situation in the world after the Wall St Crash having taken away the need for either of the above reasons for their existence, as Roosevelt came in talking New Deals, r e f o r m (AAAAARGHG) etc.
Perhaps.
But. . . . "hmmmm?", you might possibly comment.

Some time later, after WW2, it seems that in Italy ( it didnt happen in other bits of the world at all of course it didnt ) a sort of informal network went a bit dodgy.
A sort of "in case of bolshies, break rules" sort of network - or - in defence-speak - a bit of "IN-CASE" preparation for if the bolshies swept through europe, a sort of secret dads army bunch of "allo allo" types (but better off) in waiting to do their duty for the nation if actual democracy threatened to return. Thats ambiguous. Yes. Theres a lot of that about in all this. Under cover of "plausible denial", with a nudge here or a wink there, it seems you often GOT three'n'fourpence in case you needed reinforcements . . . . as loads of "above board" covert ops types found, later, existing in that "grey area" wasnt great for your integrity.
TYPE THAT IN BIGGER LETTERS. Lack of oversight, with a "your doing this for the good of all the goodest things you agree with ( or bad - insert "cause" here ),
dont let people ( "or us" hear about your mistakes ), dont ask why or where the cash is from.

So, how odd, but that single existing of that sort of network, in Italy, went sort of - a bit - rotten. Much of the tale is of course untold, that "extra layer of neighbourhood watch" was the single rotten apple in a sort of informal network, burrough by burrough, region by region, across the entire of . . . . that little bit of italy.

Lack of oversight.
Lack of punishment.
That idea of "getting away with it" almost backed up by the state! ( - ISH. Or people could kid each other that they were, or the groups of people they used - almost as unwitting puppets - to get little bits done.
The income, techniques, tech, etc to sustain those networks might have used the "greyer" margins in society, so the scope to juggle cash a few extra times**** "fiddle expenses", it seems, grew. Misuses of position were easy to rationalise as "lack of oversight was a perk of plausible denial". A little bit here, a little bit there - from a newhospital, flats, shopping mall - to quieten local protests. . . . keep the wages low, or "keeping the uppity types under pressure" - or distracted by obsessions or quirks or by each other , odd personal disasters or easy frames was often explained as "getting back at those bolshies early" . Sort of opposition to the Russkies. Of course.

How do rotten apples go . . . ?




Couldnt happen here, though.
Couldnt happen in the states.
What, playing "tailwag dog" with democracy ?
. . . . worse wars for a few extra "bucks per boom"?
Absurd. But then, remember - i dont exist either.****



cheers.
unorthodox piece for the "remember eacheleventh" campaign. . . . more later!