What if the “growth” our politicians celebrate isn’t progress at all, but a system of quiet extraction that steadily transfers wealth and power upward while leaving the rest of us poorer, more dependent, and less free? This article unpacks how The System works – how money creation, deregulation, and GDP have been used to disguise inequality as success – and why recognising this hidden meaning of growth is the first step toward reclaiming what’s been taken from us.

First published on 6 December 2024. Updated on 28 April 2026 with minor revisions for clarity and relevance.