Commentary

摘要

Writing in this journal, Ward (2007) provided a timely reminder of the importance of company - government relations in his commentary on the Casino debate, with his conclusion: "And, of course, lobby, lobby, lobby!" Ward's piece suggests that local authorities' representations to central government, and the alignment of major international casino operators with them, were important routes to influence. Whilst lobbying per se is not a new phenomenon, there are wider issues here concerning the involvement of large commercial organisations in the political and democratic process. The following commentary explores these ideas through focus on the UK's largest retailer, Tesco. This is not a critique of Tesco itself; rather, the company presents a highly illustrative case of corporate interactions and relationships with government in a UK context. Much of the ensuing discussion echoes some of the deliberations in Reich's (2007) Supercapitalism. Although he looks primarily to the US, Reich argues convincingly that democracy is being increasingly enfeebled as the spheres of big business and politics become ever more entwined.