DISHONEST BRITAIN Monday, Aug 6 2007

We’re all a load of liars. So says a recent survey of 2,000 people by Royal and Sun Alliance. Indeed, two thirds of people admit to lying, with the other third … well, they’re most likely lying anyway.
It seems 41% of people regularly lie to friends, whilst 45% will lie to bosses and people in authority. Some 62% of men claim to lie ‘for an easy life,’ whilst 65% of women lie so as not to cause worry.
Noble reasons, then. Well, maybe, but it leaves us with the reality of a dishonest population. One area where this obviously has an effect is the growing field of conspiracy theory. If we’re all lying all the time, then we’re all conspiring.
This will, of course, reflect on government. If we all lie to government all the time, then they will have a false understanding of the population. Hence, they are bound to get things wrong and make us feel they’re conspiring against US.
But most importantly, at what stage does this natural lying become a criminal act? That is what the survey was all about. At the moment, only one in five admit to bumping up an insurance claim.
Yea, right!

© Anthony North, August 2007

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WAS HENRI PAUL DRUNK? Monday, Jul 30 2007

The Diana conspiracies are in the news again – this time concerning whether Lord Stevens has added to the problems. The ex-Met Commissioner chaired the recent inquiry into Diana’s death.
The inquiry concluded that driver Henri Paul was drunk, yet it is claimed that he told Mr Paul’s parents that he was not. Lord Stevens may well find himself as a witness at the Diana Inquest himself.
So who is right, who is wrong? Perhaps the answer can be found in the very nature of officialdom once conspiracy theories have arisen. The pressure to get it right is enormous, and equally the attempts to confuse the issue rise, usually taken out of all proportion by a media that repeatedly stirs the pot.
I don’t know who is right in this latest glitch in the Diana story, and I can guarantee you we never will – not for certain. For that is the essence of conspiracy theory – to continually turn black and white into grey.
As I’ve said before, it will be a long, long time before Diana can rest.

© Anthony North, July 2007

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THIS IS THE EMOTIONAL NEWS Friday, Apr 6 2007

I remember the news from my youth. A straight-faced newscaster sat emotionless in front of the camera and delivered the news in a matter-of-fact way, the emphasis being on facts. The bulletin was orderly and never deviated from its purpose.
Compare that with today. Today, newsreaders talk to each other, adjust their expressions dependent upon the item being reported, and most of the news is follow-up reports on how a particular story affected someone.
The usual scene on such reports is for someone to be expressing deep emotion. I am not a cold person and can understand the emotions being expressed, but I must ask a question: what has this to do with the news?
If we want a regular emotion-fest, then by all means. But we should not put it on the news, which is for facts about current affairs, not opinions or emotional outcomes. But why do such items infect our news today?
The beauty of emotion is that it diverts the mind from rational thinking. Be emotional and you do not think straight. And I have a nasty feeling that this is why emotion is used so much on the news today. It diverts us from the real issues. I wonder why?

© Anthony North, April 2007

Psycho-TV

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DIANA CONSPIRACY WILL STAY Saturday, Mar 3 2007

The Diana Inquest will be held in front of a jury. The victory in the High Court by Mohamed al Fayed is being seen in different ways. Al Fayed hopes it will prove the conspiracy theory that Diana was murdered. The judges hope it will lay it to rest once and for all.
The judges are, I’m afraid, wrong. The nature of the conspiracy theory concerning such tragic, high profile deaths has nothing to do with the person, as such. Rather, it follows a distinct sociological pattern.
A charismatic figure comes along, begins to change society, and then tragically dies. The sensation of their life must carry on into a sensational death, hence the conspiracy theories.
It has been true of Monroe, Presley and JFK, and if you follow the sociology of the event, it reaches right back to Jesus Christ. And here we can see the purpose of the social movement involved. We may not have a need for it today, but it is the sociology of the birth of religion.

© Anthony North, March 2007

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