On this, my fourth visit to Davos, I have been curious to see if the recession has transformed the attitudes of the captains of world capitalism who come here to network. My past World Economic Forums have all been dominated by a smug, self congratulatory mood of corporate success and boundless optimism for wealth creation in the future.

True, there have been attempts by the organisers to stimulate thoughtfulness on environmental questions and some fashionable social causes like the need for cheap generic drugs against aids.