Bilderberg 2013: White Men, Vampire Squids and Shape-Shifting Lizard People [VIDEO]

The official list of delegates to the secretive Bilderberg Group meeting, being held outside London, has been published and, monstrous conspiracy theories aside, it has the musty whiff of the late 20th century about it.

It is dominated by middle-aged and elderly white men, with Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, leading the tiny coterie of women that can now pass muster among the financial and political elite. Tidjane Thiam, CEO of insurance giant Prudential, will probably be the only black face there.

Having just turned 90, the éminence grise of the hoedown in Hertfordshire is Henry Kissinger, the controversial former US secretary of state. President Nixon's former global enforcer who ordered the ravaging of Cambodia and propped up many a nasty Latin American junta has Dr Strangelove status among the conspiracy theorists.

Not surprisingly, the "banksters" are over-represented with Goldman Sachs, aka the Great Vampire Squid, providing two of its top viceroys - vice-chairman Michael Evans and Peter Sutherland, chairman of Goldman Sachs International.

Meanwhile, despite Barclays' involvement in the Libor rigging scandal, its former chairman Marcus Aguis's reputation remains unsullied in Bilderberg eyes and he remains a trustee of the group.

In recognition of the global digital "revolutionaries" who may offer a way out of the global financial catastrophe masterminded by Bilderbergers past and present, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon, make the cut this time.

Meanwhile, the sense that it is stuck in the rut of its Cold War origins (founded in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America) is revealed by the fact that it is yet to recognise that the Iron Curtain crumbled over 20 years ago. Despite having been initiated by, among others, Polish politician-in-exile Józef Retinger, there is not a single invitee from east of the Elbe, let alone Russia.

Hence, notable neo-cons and ex-Cold War warriors, including George W Bush wingman Richard Perle, generally thought to be discredited post-Iraq invasion, still get a Bilderberg billing.

Indeed, how relevant any organisation supposedly interested in world affairs can be without any representative from the Bric nations - let alone Africa - points to elitist arrogance, embellished by the fact that the Bilderberg 2013 agenda plans to talk about "Africa's challenges" and "Developments in the Middle East" without anyone actually from these regions present.

Not surprisingly, a large contingent from London is expected, including George Osborne and his Labour counterpart, Ed Balls, a Labour party figure who has a reputation as a political viper - which is about as close to David Icke's mad fantasies about a world governed by alien, reptilian shape-shifters as it gets.

Invitees and agenda of talking points

Here is the official list of attendees and the agenda for the Bilderberg Group meeting at The Grove in Watford, 6-9 June:

Bilderberg Agenda

The 61st Bilderberg meeting is set to take place from 6 until 9 June in Watford, Hertfordshire. A total of around 140 participants from 21 European and North American countries have confirmed their attendance. As ever, a diverse group of political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media have been invited. The list of participants is available on www.bilderbergmeetings.org

The key topics for discussion this year include:

• Can the US and Europe grow faster and create jobs?
• Jobs, entitlement and debt
• How big data is changing almost everything
• Nationalism and populism
• US foreign policy
• Africa's challenges
• Cyber warfare and the proliferation of asymmetric threats
• Major trends in medical research
• Online education: promise and impacts
• Politics of the European Union
• Developments in the Middle East
• Current affairs

Founded in 1954, Bilderberg is an annual conference designed to foster dialogue between Europe and North America.

Every year, between 120 and 150 political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media are invited to take part in the conference. About two thirds of the participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; one third from politics and government and the rest from other fields.

The conference has always been a forum for informal, off-the-record discussions about megatrends and the major issues facing the world. Thanks to the private nature of the conference, the participants are not bound by the conventions of office or by pre-agreed positions. As such, they can take time to listen, reflect and gather insights.

There is no detailed agenda, no resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken, and no policy statements are issued.

READ:
Bilderberg 2013: Andrew Kakabadse on How Elite Power Shapes the World [VIDEO]