We have explored a hypothesis on a possible origin for the peculiar long-ranged interactions that the groups of Israelachvili and Perkin have found, using the Surface Force Apparatus (SFA), in concentrated salt solutions and ionic liquid mixtures[1,2]. We have specifically focused on aqueous salt solutions, although the concept can in principle be applied to other solutions. The idea is that the water molecules in the hydration shell surrounding each ion, are somewhat “arrested”, and therefore have a limited ability to polarise [3-5]. We have used very coarse-grained models for this, based on the Restricted Primitive Model, RPM. Our modification entails an assumed short-ranged water-induced potential of mean force, sPMF, in the vicinity of each ion. While we lack detailed knowledge of this sPMF, its existence is certainly supported by the fact that the standard RPM fails to precipitate (unless we approach the hard-sphere packing limit), i.e. there is a cohesion lacking from that description.  We have therefore explored different versions of the sPMF, all of which are short-ranged. In each case, the amplitude of the sPMF is adjusted to generate flocculation at typical salt saturation values, i.e. 3-6M. What we find is that these systems display significant clustering at concentrations above about 1M. The cluster-cluster correlations will induce long-ranged interactions between charged surfaces, as illustrated in the graph below. Simulated surface forces are insensitive to details of the assumed sPMF, but a crucial qualitative aspect is that it is adding attraction between unlike charges.