Similar situation to Anthill. The very rich work through intermediaries - very well paid intermediaries who do their bidding. I was once groomed for that role but proved to be not quite biddable enough for their tastes.
Thier lifestyle isn't all it's cracked up to be; they are scared and worried people most of the time - they worry about their physical security as well as the financial. Take Kerry Packer for example; why do you think he celebrated New Years eve in 1999 on the deck of his world girdling ocean going yacht with Bill Gates and their immediate families?
Hint: This is a lifeboat not a self esteem toy:
The children and grand children of another Grandee do not go anywhere without at least a Five man security detail and a prearranged security plan. If one of them accepts an invitation to your country house, expect an initial visit from their security planner. The detail arrives with your guest and puts out the movement sensors, etc, etc.
There are companies that specialise in providing this sort of service, right down to terribly well spoken and well dressed young men and women who can accompany you or members of your family anywhere and everywhere. I've dealt with them.
What has been exercising the minds of the very rich since at least 2000 is the reality is that there are not enough natural resources on the planet to allow a Chinese and Indian middle class to aspire to the same standard of living as the Western middle classes. Thanks to pervasive western communications technology, the Chinese and Indians can see what they would like to aspire to.
Now this is going to cause trouble - and you are living through it - "The Global Financial crisis" represents the failure of Western Governments to borrow enough money to keep their masses happy. The American middle classes don't yet understand that the current reduction in their standard of living is permanent. When they do, well, that is why their police forces have been turned into paramilitary organisations over the last Ten years.
Don't worry about the Europeans and the Euro - Europe has enough money to look after itself - not without pain of course, but enough. Instead, you should be worrying about America - where the very rich are trying to ensure that attention is focussed on Europe and not their own, much worse, problems.
And against this we have little Qantas, bravely making fantastic plans for its future instead of battening down the hatches to survive the next financial tidal wave....
As announced in previous GEABs, in this issue our team presents its anticipations on the changes in the United States for the period 2012-2016. This country, the epicentre of the global systemic crisis and pillar of the international system since 1945, will go through a particularly tragic in its history during these five years. Already insolvent it will become ungovernable bringing about, for Americans and those who depend on the United States violent and destructive economic, financial, monetary, geopolitical and social shocks.
GEAB N°60 is available! Global systemic crisis