Empirical scaling laws [1-3] for the confinement time τE in Tokamaks depend on dimensionless global plasma parameters in a way which is difficult to associate with some general plasma physics model. It is shown that such dependencies can arise form artefacts in the database used to derive the scaling expression. The artefacts involve inner relationships, e.g. collinearities between variables. For the ITER Lmode and Hmode databases it is shown that subsets of the scaling expressions are approximately constant. An alternative description of Lmode, ELM-free, small ELM and giant ELM Hmode data is given. A simple electrostatic physics model (plateau scaling) in which confinement is degraded by non-collisional processes, can describe global confinement data for all four confinement regimes; this common scaling features a multiplier C which is assigned a different value for each regime. The complex physics associated with MHD instabilities (ELM's, sawteeth, outer modes) is hidden in the multiplier C and attempts are made to uncover such physics. In these attempts global confinement are made to scale with physics models, electrostatic, MHD etc. rather than physics variables.