But is there a plot?

A writer over at Spiked! bemoans people's tendency to believe in conspiracies. Fair enough. He argues that relying on conspiracy theories diminishes subjectivity increases fatalism and causes agent panic - the belief that all government agencies are out to get you. However, he remarks reasonably enough, that "The feeling of being subject to manipulation and external control – the very stuff of conspiracy theory – springs from the contemporary perception of powerlessness. " which is, of course, the biggest conspiracy of all.