My merchant banker son tells me I’m wrong. He rejects my criticism of Australian corporate boards that respond to noisy activist pressure to become ‘socially responsible’ instead of concentrating on earning a quid for shareholders. He says that in the changing political and social environment of the 21st century, companies make more quids by appearing to be ‘socially responsible’ and getting involved in issues that pay off – as long as the commercial benefits outweigh the costs, like Qantas and the same-sex marriage campaign.