SMOKE & MIRRORS

SMOKE AND MIRRORS
The Obscuration of Reality

Having walked this land for nigh on three score years and ten I have noted during this time that when seriously important issues are being promulgated by those in authority the truth frequently becomes obscured. The problem, as I see it, is this; as a sentient being subscribing to a democratically elected government that purports to represent the people I should be entitled to be advised truthfully about matters pertaining. However, I have observed that this is not usually the case. What most often happens is we are misled, lied to and manifestly manipulated by a system using what effectively amounts to as smoke and mirrors that twists the truth and obfuscates the objective. That objective being, as we subsequently may discover, is to produce a binding decision that meets the requirements of those making the rules by which we are all bound. This is rather like the boy that owns the football insisting that the game be played to his advantage or there will be no game.

What, you may well ask, has all this to do with Spiritualism and eternal life? My answer to that rhetorical question is this: everything. We as incarnate individuals exercising our free will have, I believe, an inalienable right to make our lives fully cognizant of the facts. We can not do so if the ‘facts’ we are provided with are fabricated to meet the needs of authority. Let me offer what I consider to be a reasonably recent example of disgraceful obscuration: Immediately prior to the UK Referendum on the 23rd June 2016 concerning continued membership of the EU we were treated to many notable names offering their ‘expert’ advice and insights promoting the proposition that we remain and retain full membership. Some, in fact many, of their statements were unquestionably little more than misleading nonsense designed to frighten us into acquiescence. Take this statement by the Canadian Governor of The Bank of England Mr. Mark Carney ‘Brexit, to my mind, would have a material impact on growth and inflation. It would be likely to have a negative impact in the short term. I certainly think it would increase the risk of recession’. Then consider what the then President of The United States of America had to say on the same subject: ‘I think it fair to say that at some point down the line there might be a US-UK trade agreement, but it’s not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with the big-bloc The European Union to get a trade agreement done. The UK is going to be in the back of the queue’.

The British public rejected the numerous scaremongering tactics, misrepresentations and lies or supposedly honest opinions of reputedly knowledgeable individuals. They also deplored the downright intimidation of the then US President who was attempting to interfere in the UK democratic process by injecting an element of fear. That is just one example of authority with an agenda trying to manipulate the public by deceit. They were all wrong, the UK economy is booming and when Brexit is complete we shall no doubt see how misguided the supposedly informed figures of authority were. History offers many other instances where we the people have had our lives fundamentally formulated by fabrication of the facts.

As we are on the subject of the EU let me give you my personal take on this. I realize that many will consider my writing to amount to a rather jingoistic rant about Great Britain and this green and pleasant land. OK so be it, but we the public were denied our say when in 1992 the Government of the UK led by John Major signed The Treaty of Maastricht which effectively transferred the power of parliament to the European Union. Three countries held referendums concerning the signing of the treaty, France, Denmark and Ireland, the UK did not offer its population any choice. All of the three main parliamentary parties: The Conservatives, Labour and Liberals had within their manifestos statements that they would, if elected, ratify the Treaty of Maastricht. This was then interpreted by John Major’s government to be sufficient authority to permit the signing of said treaty. We the British electorate were never consulted and the sovereignty of our parliament was signed away by the use of smoke and mirrors, we were deceived. It is to return that sovereign right to The British Government that is the whole point of Brexit. As Spiritualists we know that we must make our own pathways in life, how can that be possible when we are misdirected and controlled by deception?

Leaping back to the time of Richard the Lionheart may seem ridiculous but as a child in the 1950s I was taught about the noble cause of The Crusades. What could possibly be further from the truth? This strange idea of returning ‘The Holy Land’ to the Christians began in 1095 when Pope Urban II at The Council of Claremont gave his authority for a crusade. A man calling himself Peter The Hermit claimed to have a letter from heaven instructing Christians to prepare for the apocalypse by capturing the city of Jerusalem. Richard I The Lionheart (1157-1199) led the third Christian crusade against Saladin the leader of the Muslim forces, he did not succeed in capturing Jerusalem though he did massacre 2,700 Muslim prisoners in the name of his God. Meanwhile back at the ranch the Church was having to find the funds to support Richard I and his army as they did what marauding armies throughout the ages have done, rape and pillage. Indeed according to some historians Richard I was a psychopathic killer and bi-sexual who also fathered children with local women as he led his crusades around ‘The Holy Land’. So dear reader as you can see we the tax paying people of Great Britain were well and truly lied to about The Crusades. They were more about a bunch of entitled nobles having some violent adventures involving murder, mayhem and sexual indulgence by force than anything remotely connected to Christianity.

In more recent times we the people have had to listen to such practised liars as the former Prime Minister Tony Blair. What a prime example of an unmitigated deceiver he is. On television immediately prior to the invasion of Iraq by the British Army in conjunction with the USA Armed forces I heard him address Parliament. He said and this will be recorded in Hansard, that if all those in Parliament could see what he had seen in top secret intelligence documents then they would have absolutely no doubt concerning the veracity of the reports of WMD in the possession of Sadam Hussain. Yet when it came to answering questions at The Chilcot Inquiry concerning what he knew about the truth of WMD prior to The Iraq War Tony Baloney stated he had no memory of any such information.

At the risk of repeating myself let me just state this. It is not my intent to bang a big drum in support of British Nationalism. Nor do I support the idea that there is a British race, we that live in Great Britain are British or at least we should subscribe to the idea of being British. When in Rome do as the Romans do, makes sense to me. Do not come to Great Britain intending to change our culture, join in and be made welcome. On the 23rd June 2016 we the people of this sceptred isle voted to return control of our laws, our land and our people to the people. We did not vote to be bigots, we did not vote to be flag waving jingoistic nationalists what we voted for was our right to be British individuals in our own country, in our Great Britain. It is now for The Government to accept that decision, no smoke and mirrors, no half truths, no damn lies just get us back our country that was stolen from us by deception.