Some people are more susceptible than others to believing in wacky cabals, says Prof Chris French, of Goldsmith College's psychology department.
They have a need to have a sense of control. Not only do they not trust the government, they tend not to trust their neighbours either. And in the need for control, there may be links to the roots of religious belief, he says. The conspiracy theorists may get overexcited but they have a point, says Prof Andrew Kakabadse, co-author of new book Bilderberg People.
The group has genuine power that far outranks the World Economic Forum, which meets in Davos, he argues. And with no transparency, it is easy to see why people are worried about its influence. The agenda the group has is to bring together the political elites on both right and left, let them mix in relaxed, luxurious surroundings with business leaders, and let the ideas fizz.
It may seem like a glorified dinner party but that is to miss the point. The theme at Bilderberg is to bolster a consensus around free market Western capitalism and its interests around the globe, he says. In one sense yes. There's a very strong move to have a One World government in the mould of free market Western capitalism. Degree of nefariousness. Conventional critiques of alienated people seeking order in a chaotic world may well be true.
But there's more to it than that, McConnachie argues. That they are precisely right - they just over-egg the way they articulate it.
The Bilderberg Group matches up to how a global conspiracy would work - a secretive body attempting to shape the direction of the world, he suggests. When things are more nuanced than that.
For all the tales of lizards running the world, we all owe a debt to conspiracy theorists, McConnachie argues. It's only recently that the media has picked up on the Bilderbergers.
Would the media be running stories if there weren't these wild allegations flying around? But Aaronovitch disagrees. More from this author French Department.
The Bilderberg gathering began in the middle of the Cold War as a discussion club for European and American leaders intended to be a bulwark against Communist ideology. The event first took place in at the Bilderberg hotel in the Dutch town of Oosterbeek. Since then it has been held every year, always in a different location. Participants are invited by members of the steering committee and the guest list changes annually. It will be the first Bilderberg meeting held in French-speaking Switzerland, but other parts of the country have already hosted five editions of the event since the s.
Nearly people will attend the event, about a quarter of whom are women. The meeting is private and participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses. They must come alone, without a spouse or assistant. They stay inside the hotel during the three days of discussions. On the Swiss side, Ueli Maurer, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, will be the first sitting president to take part in the three days of debates.
It is a forum for informal discussions, where everyone speaks on their own behalf and therefore does not formally represent their government, company or organisation.
Bilderberg is a top subject among conspiracy theorists who argue that the group has the power to start wars and become a kind of shadow world government. In the face of such criticism, the club has gone from a quasi-secret institution to simply a discreet one. We know you are evil. He has more recently attended protest camps, sent InfoWars pundit Owen Shroyer to try and invade their gathering in Chantilly, Virginia, and accused them of plotting to overthrow US president Donald Trump.
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