How powerful is the Bilderberg group?
The secretive Bilderberg organisation is holding its annual meeting in the German city of Dresden.
It’s one of the most secretive and powerful organisations you’ve probably never heard of.
The Bilderberg group is hosting some of the world’s top business and political leaders in the German city of Dresden.
It’s a forum it holds every year where the rich and the influential can meet and exchange ideas in complete secrecy.
Almost 130 politicians, bankers and industrialists are attending this year’s conference. The guest list includes the former heads of the CIA and MI6, as well as the chief of the International Monetary Fund.
But just like every year, no reporters are allowed in.
There are no minutes of meetings; no votes or policy statements.
And participants are bound by what’s known as the Chatham House Rule, which allows people to make use of the information they’ve received, but not reveal the identity or affiliation of the person who gave it to them.
So how influential is the Bilderberg group? And what does it say about the relationship between big business and politicians?
Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault
Guests:
Charlie Skelton – Writer and journalist covering the Bilderberg conference for The Guardian
Katy Wright – Head of Global Affairs at Oxfam
Giles Scott-Smith – Professor of Diplomatic History at the University of Leiden