The Peter McCormack Show #139: Simon Dixon — How the Financial-Industrial Complex Runs the World

Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Peter McCormack
Guest: Simon Dixon

Overview

This episode takes a deep dive into the structures and machinations of what Simon Dixon terms the "financial-industrial complex." Simon draws on historical, economic, and geopolitical examples to argue that most Western democracies are essentially piggy banks for US corporate interests, driven by a centuries-old debt-based Ponzi scheme. The conversation spans from the origins of central banking to present-day global politics, asset management powerhouses, conspiratorial thinking, Bitcoin, and what individuals can do to survive and possibly resist.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Financial-Industrial Complex: Structure and History

• Simon asserts that the UK, EU, Australia, and Canada are subordinated to US corporate interests via "rolling over a debt-based Ponzi scheme" (00:00).
• The structure isn't an organized cabal but a system driven by "ruthless games of betrayal at the top, power dynamics and access to capital" (00:12, 68:50).
• This system originated with the British and Dutch creation of banking models to finance wars, evolving with the US and still underpinning global finance today (08:40).
• Quote:

  "The state and the government are a battering ram to take blame for the fact that they are a piggy bank in a Ponzi scheme that needs to reallocate finance to where their lobby wants it to go." — Simon (02:34)

2. Debt, Central Banking, and Asset Management

• Fiat currencies are described as structurally Ponzi schemes relying on perpetual debt and interest (02:34).
• Governments, corporations, and consumers are all assets in this cycle, with the government taking on consumer and corporate debt risks (03:36).
• The "K-shaped economy": rich gain assets via access to cheap capital, while the majority become assets themselves, buried under debt (05:46).
• Asset managers (BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street) are now more powerful than governments, controlling capital allocation and board seats across tens of thousands of companies (16:32).
• Notable quote:

  "The asset managers run the world." — Simon (63:59)

3. Political Influence and Subordination

• Politicians are "compromised" by necessity; rising in power means accepting lobby finance and being subject to leverage/compromat (15:11, 37:58).
• BlackRock, as the leading asset manager, is deeply embedded into US Treasury and Federal Reserve policymaking (15:32).
• Even wealthy entrepreneurs like Elon Musk or Donald Trump are subordinate to the capital and leverage provided by the financial-industrial complex (20:19, 38:12).
• Quote:

  "If you want to make it as a politician, you have to receive your lobby financing and you have to agree to what you're going to do for your corporate sponsor." — Simon (15:11)

4. Geopolitics: War, Empire, and Global Control

• Wars and color revolutions are tools for asset extraction and servitude: install leaders, privatize resources, and funnel wealth to Western companies (01:00, 23:12, 30:59).
• The Russia-Ukraine war, for example, is explained not as a battle of nations, but as the US financial complex asset-stripping Europe and subordinating Ukraine (31:00, 91:35).
• "Peace in the Middle East" is forecasted as a rearrangement of financial and military priorities, possibly to allow Asia and Africa to "finally use their own resources" (73:31, 89:25).
• Quote:

  "You pretend you're defending democracy. You have a boogey monster called Putin, who's a good boogey monster if you want one. ... But most of it goes into Lockheed Martin, General Dynamic, Raytheon as a tied loan." — Simon (31:00)

5. The Role of Technology, Surveillance, and Media

• Social credit technology, AI, and media narratives (often coordinated by companies like Palantir, backed by military budgets) are tools for both profit and control (25:19, 41:47, 44:53).
• Manufactured civil unrest or violent revolutions can be used as asset-grab opportunities (25:19).
• Media and algorithms are used to feed people divisive or polarizing content, radicalizing them and keeping them compartmentalized (70:58, 71:46).
• Quote:

  "We are in psychological operations to confuse us as as much as possible and point at the wrong things." — Simon (51:55)

6. Capitalism, Socialism, and the Illusion of Democracy

• The West is described as "capitalism for the poor, socialism for corporations" due to bailouts, monetization, and zero/cheap-capital for the powerful (06:48).
• Elections, political parties, and new economic models are portrayed as largely for show; real power is with those controlling capital flows (65:13).
• The idea that democracy was always a "lie"; effort is now funneled by media to keep public attention focused on tribal conflict or distractions (66:37, 69:42).
• Quote:

  "The whole democracy was a lie." — Simon (66:37)

7. Bitcoin: Threat, Tool, or Co-opted Asset?

• Simon frames adoption of Bitcoin as an individual act of boycott against the financial system, but stresses the system works to centralize and co-opt it (via ETFs, lending, etc.) (78:52).
• Only self-custody and running nodes offer real resistance; institutionalization turns Bitcoin into another lever for the financial-industrial complex (83:06).
• Quote:

  "As long as we have nodes, miners and self custody then we can opt out. But the short term price is captured." — Simon (80:02)

• Discussion of whether Satoshi and early Bitcoin figures had intelligence community ties; regardless, open-source keeps it available as an "escape hatch" (85:44).

8. Advice & Personal Strategies

• There's no revolution against the system: resistance can only be local, personal, and economic (community politics, local purchase, asset ownership, self-sufficiency) (67:00, 118:20, 102:28).
• The only way to protect oneself is by owning assets — preferably those that aren't easily captured (gold, Bitcoin, possibly real estate) (110:06).
• The decline of the West also means a positive future for Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, which may finally benefit from their own resources (89:25, 92:16).
• Quote:

  "Your money is your vote. And that's the conclusion that I come to. So the best you can do is boycott and go local and support yourself, your family and your community." — Simon (68:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the system's ruthlessness:

  "It's a ruthless game of betrayal at the top, power dynamics and access to capital." — Simon (01:00, repeated 68:50)

• On power dynamics:

  "Everyone is focused on media and politicians, once you realize... what actually does move the world? Well, money moves the world." — Simon (68:36)

• On co-option of Bitcoin:

  "We cheered it on and we got really excited... And what did he do? He rewrote the law to say we can confiscate bitcoin and send Samurai Wallet into prison. So we'll come after self custody." — Simon (83:13)

• Hope as 'cope':

  "Hope is really cope." — Peter (98:40)

• On the wisdom of 'going local':

  "Even if you were a mad conspiracy theorist, your solution is still something we should be doing anyway." — Peter (103:01)

Key Timeline / Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Event Summary | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Simon introduces thesis: The West is subordinate to US corporate interests due to financial system. | | 02:34-06:48 | Structural explanation of the debt-creation model, the "K-shaped" economy, and Ponzi dynamics in fiat currencies. | | 08:37-13:29 | Sovereign debt, IMF bailouts, global asset extraction; how the British model set the stage for US global finance. | | 15:06-16:32 | BlackRock’s influence; asset managers as real power brokers via board seats and technology. | | 21:12-30:59 | Discussion of war in Ukraine as an asset management operation, not a traditional conflict; mechanisms of control and subordination.| | 36:19-38:02 | Game theory, election cycles, and the necessity of politicians being compromised. | | 41:47-44:53 | Technology and surveillance, blackmail, and future of digital ID/surveillance. | | 56:18-62:17 | How the US maintains the world reserve currency by running the Ponzi scheme until it can't roll over debt; asset-stripping phase. | | 70:58-73:31 | Algorithmic radicalization and compartmentalization of the public via media and social networks. | | 78:45-84:46 | Bitcoin's current captured state, the importance of self-custody, and resistance as a minority position. | | 89:03-92:16 | The rise of Asia, Africa, Middle East as the West declines; advice on where to consider living. | | 109:58-113:54| Survival advice for those who can't leave the system; description of the slow collapse (‘silent serfdom’) (4chan post). | | 118:20-120:29| Meaningful dissent means operating outside the system, not futile revolutions or political switches. |

Conclusion: What Can Listeners Take Away?

• The modern world is controlled not by states or obvious leaders, but by vast, interlocking networks of capital and asset management controlled by a fluid, amoral logic of profit and power.
• Individuals have little power to challenge this on a national level, but localism, asset ownership (especially in forms not easily captured), community building, and mindful spending are meaningful forms of resistance and adaptation.
• Pursuing individual happiness, relationships, and local engagement are not only reasonable responses—they’re actionable, regardless of “conspiratorial” or systemic interpretations.
• Self-custody, both of Bitcoin and of one's time/spending/choices, remains a crucial tool.

Tone

The conversation is frank, occasionally darkly humorous, and mixes cynicism about the system with pragmatic, sometimes stoic, advice on adaptation and survival. Both host and guest oscillate between big-picture global critique and personal anecdotes, maintaining a conversational and accessible style.

For anyone who has not listened to the episode, this summary covers the most critical structures, revelations, and personal advice discussed throughout, while highlighting both memorable turns of phrase and moments of clarity.