Public opinion is a critical force in politics, including all aspects of governance. To provoke hostile or negative public opinion is to invite a gigantic hammer or a wrecking ball. And I am saying that not because I want to be dramatic but to capture some of the scale of what is happening in the current global financial crisis. For, financial markets are also affected by the power of public opinion. In fact, what market analysts and pundits often describe as public sentiment or market confidence is really the working of public opinion. The point is that whether the market trades in electoral votes or financial securities public opinion is a critical force. It is always better to have public opinion on your side.