"The truth is that the decisions have already been made, the deals done, and the palms crossed with silver."

That is true, of course. That is how things work. But it doesn't mean that you should disengage from the process and stop protesting - that is handing victory to the evil, greedy ones on a plate! Remember that everything from slavery to the, seemingly, unassailable power of the tobacco companies to poison their 'customers' were all 'done deals', decided behind closed doors. If no-one had protested there would still be captive people being forced to work on sugar and cotton plantations and people dying from preventable lung cancer.

My MP once told me that there are not enough votes in the environment - well there won't be ANY votes if the environmentalists disengage! Environmentalism is a war - just as anti-slavery was a war. War is a risky business - you aim for victory but you constantly risk defeat. Wars can be won by adopting clever and novel strategies and tactics. But this particular war is not going to be won by endlessly telling people who agree with you what they already know - that's just a waste of energy and has no tactical or strategic advantage!