In all the newspaper articles, in all the radio programmes and TV shows now exposing our MP's expenses, and previously, our failed bankers' bonuses, two core issues have been strikingly missed. One is to question the suitability of the type of people currently in both those roles to be there at all. The other is to question the wisdom of desperately propping up a failing, obsolete and unsustainable world economic system.

The economic crisis has focussed many minds on immediate survival, ranging from individuals coping with redundancy, to governments propping up failed banks and car manufacturers. In a crisis humans tend to panic and regress into old thought patterns and old habits at the very time that long term whole system vision and breaking the mould is crucial. Short term remedies may provide temporary relief, but will only lead to greater repeat crises later for they just perpetuate the circumstances that created the problem in the first place.