It was reported yesterday that President Trump, despite his campaign promises to ‘ drain the swamp ’ and reduce the effect of lobbyists, has instead removed the rules that prohibit energy companies from lobbying foreign governments and keeping the payments secret. This ‘gift’ to energy lobbyists, combined with a recent appointment that puts lobbyists at the heart of the Environmentally-concerned agencies in the administration, is a growing concern for the environmental future of the United States primarily, and the rest of the world moreover. However, the focus for this short post will be on the message that this move sends to other lobbying organisations, like those that lobby for the financial or pharmaceutical sectors, for example. President Trump’s move to alter the business of lobbying has the potential to look like a very responsible and publicly-concerned move – the headlines of banning executive appointees from lobbying for five years tend to grab people’s attention...