Getting your message across to the nation's politicians is not always easy, especially if you are looking to explain a new issue to them. The best advice is to keep things simple and jargon-free. But the Margin wonders if the Society of the Irish Motor Industry went a bit too far this week when trying to makes its case to members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business.

Seeking to enlighten our legislators on the evils of superstores, the SIMI used a children's video to make its point. The video, made for British school children, included a purple dinosaur and various easy-to-follow charts. It also explained to the TDs and Senators present that "superstores are built beside motorways, because people use their cars to get to them".