Divide and Rule — The Oldest Trick in the Book

It’s no secret that an enormous amount of energy is spent by those in power — particularly through the media — to shape public perception and manipulate how we think.

We’re constantly encouraged to see ourselves as part of smaller and smaller sub-groups — divided by race, colour, gender, religion, class, or political identity. When you stop and think about it, the goal becomes obvious: to keep us focused on fighting one another instead of questioning who benefits from the division.

History shows this is nothing new. The strategy of “divide and rule” is as old as civilisation itself — a tool used by empires and elites for thousands of years to maintain control.

Today, the same dynamic plays out in subtler ways. Sometimes it’s driven by the media narrative; sometimes by high-profile “change agents” or agent provocateurs who seem to appear at just the right moment to inflame a specific issue. Figures like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (better known as Tommy Robinson) can serve to intensify public anger around symptoms — such as immigration — while distracting from deeper, systemic causes.

It’s a clever and ancient trick. By keeping us arguing about the surface issues, we rarely take the time to step back and ask the harder question: Who benefits from the chaos?

If we could move beyond blaming each other — and instead focus on understanding the root causes — perhaps we could finally begin to address the influence of those few who continue to profit from division.

Them. They. The powers that should not be.