"But the standard OSC answer is - If it is unfairly manipulated then why does the market not buy those bargain prices?"

No one will buy something when they don't know how deep the manipulation is going nor if they see the momentum drizzle out of a run and head south. That should be plain. Couple that with the fact that everyone knows the OSC doesn't have a very good score for dealing with manipulation. When is the last time charges hit the news?