A powerful upper-class cabal (the "League" of the title), whose members feel that "the country is going to the dogs", makes careful secret preparations for overthrowing the government.

This was not a powerful cabal, and they had little expectation of early success.

Wells leaned forward, apparently enjoying the lecturer's role, as though he spoke before a group of new Telemorphix engineers instead of the most powerful cabal on Earth.

He is fascinated to the point of fetish by large sums of money, and his fictional world is populated by cartoonishly powerful and ruthless cabals.

Murphy served on the Banking Committee and attempted to introduce reforms but was stymied by the powerful political cabal known as "The Family".

This ignorance is encouraged by a mysterious and powerful cabal which benefits from keeping people unaware of their abilities.

She was invited to speak later this year to the spouses, mostly wives, of a powerful cabal of young chief executives - high achievers not particularly sensitive to women's issues.

And since Noel has taken to championing only five or six groups, then it's a powerful cabal he's promoting.

"A very tiny but powerful cabal is toying with the future of our nation," Mr. Soyinka said in a statement.

Picture all the powerful cabals of egotists cluttering the world at the turn of the century.