Actually the same book makes a really valid point about power in western democracy - that it's being eroded in the traditional sense. As political parties all seem to merge into one another, as more and more people choose not to vote because all the politicians seem to stand for the same thing these days, and more importantly as big business has increasingly clout over government, the individual voter has less direct power over the actions of the government.

Giles Bolton's argument though is that the power hasn't disappeared, its just shifted - and in fact we probably now have more power as consumers than we did as voters. Businesses by nature want us to like them and to buy their products/services. So if we've got the balls and the motivation to let them know with our pounds what we do and don't like, we can have a bigger effect on everything from trade laws to trade unions to air miles.

The thing is I write this now, but will I always be able to walk past the new Tesco's that's about to open on North Street in Southville when I want something they sell but the other little businesses on the road don't? Or if it's throwing it down with rain? With me I think it's very much a case of out of sight out of mind. If I can't see it or it doesn't impact on me directly, I struggle to keep the momentum going. Is there a way we can have a more direct contact with the impact of what we buy? Or is that also just pandering to our own sense of needing a product or result from our custom?