As Mr Ruane takes his leave, another Welsh Labour MP has begun his climb up the greasy pole.

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With promotion based strictly on seniority, the climb to the top of the greasy pole can take a lifetime.

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Despite these varied routes to the top, the greater triumph for America remains that most groups have found their way up the greasy pole.

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Throughout the intelligence community, he's regarded as an empire-building, credit-grabbing apparatchik who'll stop at nothing to get to the top of the greasy pole.

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Well, you took piano lessons, finished college, kept your nose clean, worked your way up, climbed the greasy pole, made partner at the firm, and now you're worn out.

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Drivers climbing the greasy pole of motorsport have to pay their own way, and the tricky point comes when your financial backing fails to match up to the budget required of the next step.

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To be sure, this is hardly an apples-to-apples comparison, but the basic problem with a stock like Facebook is that the New Economy is a greasy pole and few players remain dominant for long.

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But he was soon to discover that possession of a complicated fortune, an asset to a Labour politician during his ascent of the greasy pole, becomes a liability when he is at the top of it.

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