The Turning Point

The twenty first century got off to a bad start with the dotcom bust. Barely a year later the world was shaken by the events of September 11. The monstrous and unexpected attack on the World Trade Center saved George W. Bush from a trivial destiny, elevating him to the role of self-appointed saviour of the Western World, or the narrow world of the Midwest and its Bible-punchers. Launching his war on terror, Bush galloped, accompanied by his faithful sidekick, Tony Blair, to create a different version of Bush the father’s post-Soviet New World Order, where, in Winston Churchill’s words: the principles of justice and fair play...protect the weak against the strong — or was it the other way around? The widely hailed New World Order held a number of unexpected surprises in store for those who had acclaimed it. The neo-liberals had won the battle, through deregulation and by abandoning state control and protectionism, allowing the world to continue its path towards the economic and political model preached by Reagan and Thatcher. As this modern tragedy was played out certain actors congratulated themselves, perhaps prematurely, for having avoided the worse and even profited from the changes that had been forced upon their world. Spurred on by the encouragement of the West’s compelling leaders, many determined men had grasped the chance that destiny had unexpectedly thrust upon them. Michael Fitzwilliams, a London banker, was one of them, his dream was that of transforming his relatively modest bank into a global finance and investment institution, with quite naturally a deserving place in the adrenaline driven heart of the London’s square mile.