Elected government is constantly in danger of being discredited by episodes which expose its relative impotence compared to these, great agglomerations of private and unaccountable economic power.

In the end, there was nothing but another lesson in the relative impotence of people and medicine when matched against the capriciousness of illness and death.

Constrained as they are by their relative impotence vis-a-vis the real world, they're naturally intrigued by the chance to imagine alter egos unfettered by age, size, strength or, indeed, the limitations of the human condition.

Nevertheless, despite having thus declared its relative impotence, more than three-quarters of the teachers who had seen the booklet said that they were in favour of self-evaluation schemes of this kind.

So far, though, the main effect of the killings has been to expose Mr. Khatami's relative impotence.

Although the attacks have outraged many people in Iran and prompted calls for swift Government action, the main effect has been to expose President Mohammad Khatami's relative impotence.

Hence it was reduced to relative impotence when the radicalism of the French Revolution strengthened the forces of resistance in the government itself.

But it is not easy for the Kremlin to explain its relative impotence to the Russian people.

J. F. In forty-five vears of medical practice few things have impressed me more forcibly than our relative impotence to help our fellow creatures.

The term lame duck is often ascribed to an outgoing elected official in view of his relative impotence and impending exit from office, especially where his political party has lost control of a legislative or executive branch.