They tell us, sir, that we are weak -- unable to cope with so formidable an adversary.

We sometimes treat life, and budget negotiations, as a contest in which the weakest (such as children) are to be gleefully pushed aside when the music stops.

The first signal of ego is the signal to require sth that' s Nature the weaker life must pay all its attention on its own requirement.

Then I felt a hand gently pressing on the small of my back.

As in telecoms, this is likely to lead to price rises and the exit of the weakest firms.