Skip to main content

Panama Papers: When mainstream information wears the anti-establishment mask

by system failure

From the beginning of the revelations through the Panama Papers leak, someone could sense that something was wrong. The first names that came out to publicity were related to countries like Russia, China, or other considered Western rivals, together with some "collateral damage", like the prime minister of Iceland, and the father of British prime minister Cameron.

Yet, even this latest "collateral damage" may not be considered accidental. Remember that the British citizens will vote in June referendum on whether the UK will remain part of the European Union or not. The leak concerning Cameron's father could be a warning shot for Cameron to take a clear position against Brexit. Concerning Iceland, all you have to do is to remember that it was the only country that put banksters in jail after the explosion of the latest big financial crisis.

The impressive amount of data in Panama Papers, indicates that the establishment, in global scale, attempts to create aggressively - faithful to the neoliberal tradition and methods - another monopoly in the field of the leak "industry".

Naturally, a war has started between the system "outsiders" and "insiders". WikiLeaks immediately and justifiably rang the bell when they saw the names of the funders of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that had a major role in the revelations. As described in previous article : “Who is funding the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that had a major role in the revelations? The Centre for Public Integrity US, which in turn is funded by the Open Society Foundation (Soros mogul), the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Family Fund and other "charitable" institutions. While at the bottom of the website of Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project which published the Panama Papers, the Open Society Foundation and USAID are listed as sponsors. The USAID is infamous for hidden interventions in other countries to support US geopolitical agenda.

Another thing that went unnoticed, is that the Panama Papers leaks came almost simultaneously with another big scandal revealed by WikiLeaks. The Panama Papers revelations came right after WikiLeaks exposed the IMF economic hitmen, who have been caught discussing the probability to stage a “credit event” against Greece, in order to force the government to take every last cruel measure according to the Greek experiment.

This coincidence of course may be irrelevant, but it would be useful to keep it in mind. The convenient timing of the Panama Papers leaks, right after the WikiLeaks revelations concerning Greece, quickly overshadowed the latest, as the global public opinion turned immediately to the Panama Papers that came with an impressive amount of data. The scale of the Panama Papers is truly incomparable, but if you think about it, they didn't reveal something we didn't know. Many were not surprised, while probably most of the transactions exposed could be considered legal inside the deregulated framework of the global financial system.

On the other hand, nearly everyone knows the dirty role of the IMF and its policies that destroyed many national economies so far. Yet, it was the first time that its executives have been caught of thinking to design a financial coup against a country. Concerning the degree of importance, this revelation could be considered much more significant.

The latest example suggest a possible tactic that could be expanded in future cases. The establishment could feed the mainstream information channels with huge amounts of controlled data, to overshadow crucial revelations by WikiLeaks, Snowden, or other truly independent whistleblowers, and gradually wipe them out from the field of the leak "industry". It's easy someone to understand that such a development would mean the end of real leaks and revelations.

We could be wrong of course. We will have to wait to see whether all the amount of data in Panama Papers will be given to publicity without discrimination. The developments leave little room for us to be optimistic. It appears that the "outsiders" of the leak "industry" are right and the battle between WikiLeaks and MainstreamLeaks will be continued.

Recently “WikiLeaks took to Twitter to criticize what the organization describes as the continued “censorship” of the Panama Papers archive by the organizations and reporters who control the contents of the leak.” and “the investigative unit at Süddeutsche Zeitung argued that limiting access to the archive was a way to protect the source of the leak: “As journalists, we have to protect our source: we can’t guarantee that there is no way for someone to find out who the source is with the data.” In response, WikiLeaks slammed this as an “entirely bogus” justification by ICIJ that allows for “lucrative privatization” of the Panama Papers.” [fa.ev/2016/04/wikmain]

Furthermore, beyond the attempt of the mainstream information channels to wear the anti-establishment mask and conquer the leak "industry", there is, suspiciously, another deeper target. The establishment probably attempts to equalize everyone under the dominant "ideology" and spread the message: you can't find a moral system of values outside the neoliberal doctrine, so, you have to compromise with it and play by its "rules".

Especially the revelation concerning Iceland fits perfectly into such an objective. The prime minister of the only country that jailed the banksters has been found in Panama Papers. To be honest, the fact that most of us slightly got angry or surprised with Panama Papers revelations, shows that the Matrix that we live in has already affected the moral centers of our brain. However, there are hopeful signs of resistance. Only one example is the mass movement created by Bernie Sanders in the United States. And that's one of the most serious reasons for the fierce hunt of the real whistleblowers by the establishment, in order to take the monopoly of the leak "industry".

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Capitalism & Genocide - Yanis Varoufakis Speech at the Gaza Tribunal, 23rd October 2025, Istanbul

Yanis Varoufakis   On 23rd October, Yanis Varoufakis testified in front of the Jury of Conscience in the context of the Gaza Tribunal. His speech focused on the economic forces underpinning the genocide of the Palestinian people. In particular, he spoke on the manner in which capitalist dynamics have historically fuelled the white settler colonial project and, more recently, how the accumulation of a new form of capital - which he calls cloud capital - has accelerated, deepened and amplified the economic forces powering and propelling the machinery of genocide. 

Gaza 2 Years On: Yanis Varoufakis & Katie Halper on the Flotilla, Israel's PR Machine & What’s Next

DiEM25   Two years since October 7, Katie Halper (‪@TheKatieHalperShow‬) and Yanis Varoufakis join host Mehran Khalili to break down Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the latest on the flotilla, Israel’s influencer PR push, and the “peace plan”.  

The Rise of the Thielverse & the Surveillance State

The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel  Whitney Webb traces the Thielverse’s rise and the construction of the bipartisan modern surveillance state that Trump and his benefactors are deploying against dissidents and immigrants today.

World leaders rebel against US & Israel: to save Gaza, they demand international intervention

Geopolitical Economy Report   Leaders from dozens of countries condemned the USA and Israel in their speeches at the UN General Assembly, demanding international intervention to save Gaza. Diplomats staged a mass walkout to protest Netanyahu's speech. Ben Norton shows how Latin American governments are standing in solidarity with Palestine.  

Freedom Flotilla Coalition & Thousand Madleens to Gaza sailing to break the siege

Freedom Flotilla Coalition   The next wave is already being prepared, help us buy the boats and get them ready to sail!  

Προβλέψεις ...

GR elections Update (15/9): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις (μετά το δεύτερο debate): ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 28-30% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 11-13% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 2,5-3% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 2,5-3,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ + ΔΗΜΑΡ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update (11/9): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις (μετά το πρώτο debate): ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 25-28% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 11-13% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 3,5-4% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 2,5-3,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ + ΔΗΜΑΡ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update (04/9): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 23-25% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 12-15% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 3,5-4% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 2,5-3,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update (29/8): Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 23-25% ΛΑΕ + ΣΧΕΔΙΟ Β' κ.λ.π. 20-23% ΝΔ 12-15% ΧΑ 6-8% ΚΚΕ 5-5,5% ΕΝΩΣΗ ΚΕΝΤΡΩΩΝ 4-4,5% ΠΟΤΑΜΙ 4-4,5% ΠΑΣΟΚ 3-4% ΑΝΕΛ 2,5-3,5% Update : Αναθεωρημένες προβλέψεις: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ 26-27% ...

A response to misinformation on Nicaragua: it was a coup, not a ‘massacre’

There is so much misinformation in mainstream corporate media about recent events in Nicaragua that it is a pity that Mary Ellsberg’s article for Pulse has added to it with a seemingly leftish critique. Ellsberg claims that recent articles, including from this website, often “ paint a picture of the crisis in Nicaragua that is dangerously misleading. ” Unfortunately, her own article does just that. It looks at the situation entirely from the perspective of those opposing Daniel Ortega’s government while whitewashing their malevolent behavior and downplaying the levels of US support they have relied on. Her piece is an incomplete depiction of what is happening on the ground, ignoring many salient facts that have come to light and which have been outdated by recent events. The following is a brief response to Ellsberg’s main points from someone who lives in Nicaragua and has observed the situation directly and intimately: https://grayzoneproject.com/2018/08/15/a-res...

The REAL reason why Trump is attacking Latin America

Geopolitical Economy Report   The Donald Trump administration seeks to forcibly impose the US empire's hegemony in Latin America, waging war on Venezuela, imposing sanctions on Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, hitting Brazil with tariffs, and meddling in Argentina's election. Ben Norton explains how Trump and Marco Rubio are trying to cut off all western hemisphere ties with China and Russia, bringing back the colonial Monroe Doctrine, now known as the Donroe Doctrine.   

Greta Thunberg Blasts Israel, 'Complicit' World Leaders After Release From Israeli Jail

DRM News   Greta Thunberg delivered a fiery speech in Athens after her release from Israeli detention, calling Israel’s Gaza actions a “live-streamed genocide” and urging governments to “end complicity and arms transfers.” Speaking to thousands, she condemned global silence and vowed to keep fighting for Palestine through the Global Sumud Flotilla. Greta Thunberg and 27 Greek nationals arrive in Athens following their deportation from Israel after the Global Sumud Flotilla's interception en route to Gaza. Hear accounts of detention, aid blockade challenges, and calls for justice.   

How Western media helped build and then protect the Israeli narrative that allowed a genocide to continue

globinfo freexchange    For two years, Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in 4K on all of our screens. And for those same two years, many of the Western media institutions meant to hold power to account chose silence, distortion and doubt. Newsrooms repeated Israel's allegations with no pushback, ignored the evidence of genocide even as it played out live. This isn't a story about bias or mistakes. It's a story about how Western media helped build and then protect the Israeli narrative that allowed a genocide to continue.  So, how many Palestinian lives have been lost because the world's news outlets chose to repeat Israel's narrative instead of questioning it?    From the earliest days following October 7th, Israel's talking points were treated as fact. The now disproven claims of 40 beheaded babies and the story that Hamas used Palestinian civilians as human shields revived with every bombing of a hospital or school despite the mountain of evidence that it...