5 August, 2006 10:21AM AEDT  Taking on the Big Boys  Once upon a
time, there was such a thing as People Power, but over time,
communities are growing more and more cynical about their
opportunities to have their voice heard; they think they'll
never be able to beat the shadily faceless, but all-powerful
'Big Boys.'    • Print Print page   • Email Email this   •
Permalink Permalink   • Share  But the threatening omnipotence
of the corporations, the politicians and the media which
enslaves us still has challengers. At the Byron Bay Writers
Festival, authors Steven Lang, Gideon Haigh and Stephen Hagan
demonstrated that the Big Boys can be taken on, and if not
beaten, at least shaken up a bit.  And the Big Boys, whether
they realise it or not, depend on us, the general public. "The
reassuring thing about Big Boys is that to a greater or lessor
degree, all these entrenched interests are dependent on the
public's indulgence," explains Gideon Haigh. "That's living in a
democracy. Politicians are dependent on voters,