Euan Mearns,

Thank you for finding this and posting it for us. I was hoping things were a little better in the UK than in the US, but apparently not.

I think the root of the problem is the concentration of free information in a very few media companies, and the loss of reading as a source of info by the people who participate in the political process. The free press is declining precipitously in bothe number and readership, while the blogosphere is still so new thats its hard for a smart, committed person to get the info necessary to make decent choices. Its still such a vague process that I'm not sure that the "Iron Triangle" is even aware of their own methods, what they do in the united states is band together in various interest groups or caucuses within the Republican party. The problem is that the economy is changing so rapidly that the coaltions cannot hold, but the members of the caucus can't see quickly enough how their own limb is breaking and they may even need to get in touch with their Inner Democrat (sarcanol alert).

Here's a good example of that. The automobile industry is a charter member of the Iron Triangle. The big three US auto makers are broke, and they may be forced to liquidate rather than take Chapter 11 Bankruptcy because of their liabilities to the Pension guarantee Board. They looted the pension funds of the companies under George H.W. Bush and gave out the money as high officer's bonuses based on the new efficency of their fabulous new buisness models.

Their only hope for getting off the hook and being forced to liquidate is the Government assuming the medical insurace that they promised as part of the pensions-at least 40% of their unfunded liability. So they are breaking with the other conservative republicrats on Public Health care and joining with the Unions to call for National Health Care. And it goes on and on. Bob Ebersole