The above is the title of an excellent article by Constantin Gurdgiev in the March-April edition of Village Magazine. I'll link to it when it comes available online (if it ever does!). Best line: "We have never learnt that any vested interest, no matter how small, must be treated at a political level as a monopoly-seeking cartel."

It's likely that I disagree with most of Mr Gurdgiev opinions, but this piece expresses very clearly what I believe to be a serious issue in Irish society: those who seek to influence politicians are generally doing so for selfish reasons.