The few brave statesmen seeking fiscal restraint swim upstream against the media, education establishment and entertainment industries.

FORBES: Newt Gingrich Highlights Republican Futility On Spending

His efforts to prise Harrods store from another less-than-popular tycoon, Mohamed al-Fayed, gave entertainment to millions but in the financial establishment was seen as an unseemly public brawl.

ECONOMIST: Tiny Rowland

The establishment is determined to revive downtown by transforming it into a cultural and entertainment Mecca.

ECONOMIST: Los Angeles