  It is now eleven years since Terlevich \& Melnick first proposed an `AGN
without black-holes' model, an idea which since then evolved into what is now
called the starburst model for AGN. This model has been the subject of much
debate in the last decade, with observational evidence both for and against it
further fuelling the controversy. Can we after all these years reach a
veredictum on whether starbursts can power AGN? This contribution tries to
answer this question reviewing the main achievements of the starburst model,
its current status and future prospects.
