Mind-bogglingly little attention is being paid to the fierce debate in the legislature over the Bachar Commission banking reform proposals, on which the nation’s democratic fabric and even its very survival depends.

The enthusiastic reception to the appointment of Stanley Fischer as governor of the Bank of Israel – mostly by those who understand economics – and the negative reactions by so many other public figures help illuminate why our civil service seldom recruits top talent.

Did you ever hear expert witnesses – reputable professionals – cast doubt on a matter they are so generously paid to advocate? Of course not. Expert witnesses are handsomely rewarded to deliver. Additional lucrative assignments would not materialize should they fail to be totally loyal to their clients’ cases.

So it is hardly surprising that the Promontory Financial Group members hired by Israeli banks to undermine the credibility of the governments’ Financial Reform Plan tried to do what they got paid to do. “We are hired because we are objective,” the four insisted. Let’s examine the evidence.