That's a very odd article by Adonis. He uses the phrase 'modern freemasonry' as a salacious-sounding hook, but ends up arguing about a 'closed elite'. I think he means 'class', the word that dare not speak its name in 21st century politics. Personally, I'm more troubled by the influence of class in the UK than the influence of Freemasonry.
Despite credible reports of Freemasonry within Westminster (
www.politicshome.com), there's not much evidence of actual power. Anyway, putting aside my natural suspicion of
- secretive groups
- cult-like ceremonies
- male/female segregation (United Grand Lodge of England is male-only)
- obligatory adherence to the idea of a supernatural god (no atheists or agnostics allowed)
perhaps Freemasons are 'undeservedly stigmatised', as argued here (
Metro) by the UGLE.
If only we could stop stigmatising secretive, cult-like organisations that like to give the impression of wielding behind-the-scenes power, perhaps we could all be friends?