The 9/11 and 7/7 'truth' movements are symptoms of a wider malaise.
Alternative knowledge, real history - call it what you will. The specifics change, but the cast of players, the approach and the arguments do not. For every US snakeoil salesman like Alex Jones, there is a British wannabe looking to make a quick buck. And nowhere do bucks matter more than at the the AV Four conference, fast approaching in London at the end of this month.
AV Four (Alternative View Four) is not backward at coming forward. Glossy advertising, including full page spreads in Nexus and Fortean Times, is accompanied by the usual high profile internet presence. Some big name (if ageing) speakers have been found in Johnny Ball and the ever eccentric David Bellamy, whilst several of the subjects that matter in this scene are covered - we have Danile Estulin on the Bilderbergers, F William Engdahl on bio-technology and Ian R Crane on Ian R Crane (sorry I made that last line up).
All of this is occuring on 26-28 March at The Thistle Hotel down at Heathrow. Now everyone in London knows that Heathrow is a pain in the arse to get to (unless you can afford the Heathrow Express from Paddington) but my research in this field matters to me, and even though I now get hissed and booed by truthers when I turn up at their events, I kind of enjoy going along and having the arguments. I really want to go along. Sadly, it appears that will not be possible at AV Four.
Put simply working class oiks, or even aspirant middle class one's who are skint, are not welcome at AV4. Take a look at the pricing and you will see what I mean. Having bought your all day travelcard to get to Heathrow, it will cost you a whopping £60 for access to the 'market' on Saturday, plus all the lectures. What if I choose to miss out on all the stalls, and go see Daniel Estulin talk on the Bilderbergers? That will still set you back £15. At those prices I want to meet a Bilderger, and shake hands with a shape shifter, not hear about them!
These are prices that only the committed, wealthy or just plain potty would pay. Even if you do, a further hierarchy is constructed - for £169 you can enjoy a premium ticket, which allows you to hobnob with some of the celebs, but only if you also pay for three nights hotel accomodation. Why not make it four? Five? Six?
Added together, these sums would probably feed a family in Haiti for six months. Gil Scott Heron once told us that the revolution will not be televised. If AVFour have anything to do with things it will be - only under their leadership it will pay per view.