Tin foil hats at the ready!

We love a good conspiracy theory – the kookier, the better. So we veered off course to find the craziest contemporary conspiracy theories doing the rounds.

- CHRISTINA PITT

The Reptilian Elite

As if we need another reason to hate politicians. One of the biggest conspiracy theories of all time is about a shape-shifting lizard race that has ‘infiltrated high policymaking circles through their powers of mind control’. Powerful figures – from Queen Elizabeth and Barack Obama to the Clintons – have all been accused of being reptilian humanoids.

What on earth do lizard people want? World domination, of course. Once they have that, they intend to use their influence to lower the standard of living for human beings. Well – hello!

The lizard elite has been referenced since 1929, most notably in the works of Robert E Howard, author of Conan the Barbarian. Fifty years after his death, his ideas took on a life of their own, and cults were formed based on a belief in the existence of reptilian people. (Kind of reminds you of another cult based on science fiction, no? *cough* Scientology *cough*) The theory gained popularity again in 1991 when former footballer and prolific reptilian theorist David Icke claimed that the world’s richest families were lizard people.

According to Icke, the reptilians are aliens called the Anunnaki, who set forth from Planet X in search of gold. They found plentiful gold on Earth but needed a lesser species (humans) to enslave and do the dirty work for them. These reptilians now preside over humans and supposedly participate in global conflicts and paedophilia to ensure that the world eventually becomes uninhabitable.

If you’re thinking, ‘Who is going to believe any of this?’, fasten your seatbelt. A 2013 Public Policy Poll revealed that 12 million Americans believe that reptilians run the US government. (To be fair, it would explain a lot.)