Some are more equal than others

In George Orwell's allegorical critique of soviet communism, the egalitarian society in which "all animals are equal" descended into "some are more equal than others." Equally, in modern democracies such as ours, the equal rights and equality of our voice or expression in the political process is at risk of erosion through the sizeable budgets of interest groups, the likes of which we have not seen for quite some time.

With huge capital growth and a bullish market with which to bank roll their voice, we are witnessing the rise of those more equal than others, and their willingness to exert that influence (fairly or not) upon society at large. What's more, is that they are increasingly bold in their methods and overt in their intentions. Those who have the capacity to monitor and protect merely look on, or worse still, empower this by claiming it is the right of riches to exercise undue influence in the pursuit of economic returns.

Writing a blog is, at times, a lonely place; uncertain of who (if anyone) is reading, or even if it is achieving any lasting impact. What could I do with a spare $billion or two when it comes to my influence over public opinion? If our government suddenly decided to try and influence reporting and editorial content there would be howls of protest, yet the neo-liberal free marketeers seem quite unfazed, maybe even impressed by recent events in media ownership. If this is not a double standard then nothing is.

All it takes for a free press to disappear is for good people to do nothing when faced with threats such as these. I am not a green, nor a national, but I am most concerned that we are repeating the mistakes of a by-gone era of obscenely rich tycoons who feel entitled to throw their economic and hence political weight around, demonstrating that they indeed are more equal than others. It ended badly in the 1920s, and yet again for many more following Wall Street's failings in 2008, and still we do nothing to stop it. It is time for action before our voices cannot be heard any more above the roar of the "more equal".

To be continued...