Indeed. They meet instead in (probably) smokeless well-lit hotel conference rooms, with pitchers of water on the tables, caraffes of coffee, and fresh baked pastries at the break. Smoking is restricted to the veranda and man made ponds.

The question is pretty simple though: what do 120 or so very wealthy and powerful people do all day? Pursue the expansion and retention of their wealth and power, of course. Duh.

So what happens when 120 billionaires, media moguls, bankers, industrialists, spooks, and politicians and civil servants met in private, and what do they talk about in their secret conversations when they meet in private?

Golf? Sure. But exclusively golf? Hardly.

So, it's not a conspiracy then? So what is it? Why, it is merely 120 very powerful people discussing their mutual interests and how to promote them.

In secret. You know, SO THEY CAN BE FRANK. In case one of them wants to say something, you know, frankly.

Oh. I feel better knowing it is not a conspiracy.

It can hardly be called democratic though, now can it? Quite the contrary in fact. Anti-democratic in fact.

Secret exclusive access to politicians and civil servants, away from the, um, rest of the republic.

It's just an opportunity for the wealthy and powerful elite to get together and compare frank thoughts on wealth and power, in, you know, secrecy. Away from the unfrank eyes and ears of the unpowerful unwashed. Or their pesky media.

Oh. That's all?

I feel much better now.

'cause that's my favorite!

Sorry, the Devil made me do that...

;O)

If you were to replace the attendees with SUPERSTARS you couldnt pay reporters to not cover the event.

"Its an event, its major and people are interesting".

If all the reporters in all the world exercised the same half-wit-logic for 'privacy' for closed sessions there would be very few reporters out there doing anything. You reporters need to go back to school of reporting not the school of whinny 'they wont talk'.

If I were to tell you 100 of the top celebs Brad Pitt Julie Roberts George Clooney Cher Britney Spears Miley Sirus Linsey Lohan are all meeting you would find every excuse in the book to get your rear out there and do your jobs. Why is it that you are doing the opposite here? I find this gravely distrubing. Act like a journalist.