"The stable door was open, the horse had bolted, " he said.

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Which is not to say that there aren't some serious questions to be asked about the institutional structure chosen by the government for closing this particular stable door.

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With industry insiders saying shoppers should prepare themselves for more uncomfortable truths, Richard Bilton asks whether 'light touch' regulation of the food industry has left the stable door open to cowboys.

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Yet looking at the neatly-bridled donkeys on the platforms, and listening to them bray, it struck me that really it was too easy to lay all the blame for the straw-like insubstantiality of contemporary British politics at their stable door.

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Just one last point - and I'm not sure, now, if I'm hearing belts and braces being securely fastened, or the sound of a stable door closing long after the horse has bolted but might there just be paperwork that all involved must update, sign, seal and deliver just in case either man is reinstated?

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To be sure, many churches haven't been immune to the effects of the recent recession, and even for those that are financially stable, entrepreneurs trying to get a foot in the door may find it difficult if they lack religious affiliations.

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The idea is that once a customer is brought in the door with promises of commission-free trades, the company will have a stable source of income for years.

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