In my experience, there is no "controlling clique" here on the Board. I've only been aBoard for - gasp - three months short of a year (it seems like so much longer), and even in my first posts I was welcomed with (as far as I can tell) open arms.
Concrete example: On a recent post, I was worried that my contribution might be misinterpreted as showoffy. I need not have worried, for as belMarduk posted later:

We're all here to have fun and to learn. As you see from all of our posts, everybody is welcome to add their two-cents' worth. I'm sure nobody thinks you were trying to be a know-it-all so opine away!

So, essentially, I say no - we're all equally equivalent equals here.