But that's a black-and-white view. The 'gray' version is that it is perfectly possible for a politician to be of good intentions, but presented with a choice of 99 parties funded by special interests with megaphones and one lonely voter you can't fault them for having more - and usually better argued - input from special interests.

That's why many countries forbid lobbying entirely (not that that's 100% effective, but it's a start).