Rory Stewart has walked 6,000 miles through Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, written two bestselling books, governed two provinces in postwar Iraq and been made a Harvard professor. His current job, as Tory MP for Penrith in Cumbria,UK, seems curiously drab and powerless by comparison. “Anybody running a small pizza business has more power than me,” he admits. But this is precisely what he finds fascinating about British democracy. “I mean, we pretend we’re run by people. We’re not run by anybody. The secret of modern Britain is there is no power anywhere.” Not in politics, or the media, or even big business. Having taken a good look behind the scenes, he says, “I can tell you there is nothing there. It’s like The Wizard of Oz. In the end you get behind the curtain and you finally meet the wizard – and there’s this tiny, frightened figure. I think every prime minister has sort of said this since Blair. You get there and you pull the lever, and nothing happens.” (Decca Aitkenhead in The Guardian)

If there is no power anywhere how is it that corporations and the very rich seem to get what they want? Their message seems to work pretty well. But you are right, Mr. Stewart – you have no personal power, and you won’t find it in the Parliament to which you belong. But if you root around you will discover the rich people who pull the strings and make things happen. They are not very nice people and the won’t make you a happy bunny, I promise.

But, hey, here’s an idea, Mr. Stewart. Come into the Garden, smell the roses, and think about happy things.