I was listening to a Prospect podcast this morning. I don't care for podcasts but this one looked interesting as it was about corruption pervading public life'
The guest was Robert Barrington, a former Executive Director of Transparency International and now a professor of anti corruption practice at Sussex Uni.
Barrington contends that there is more corruption in UK public life than we are willing to credit..
He suggested there are four questions to ask when trying to establish if an individual is corrupt or not
1) Was a power or position entrusted to someone?
Corruption involves someone who has been entrusted with power, authority, or responsibility, whether in the public or private sector.
2) Was that power abused?
The person used their position improperly, contrary to the purpose for which it was entrusted.
^4) Was the abuse for private gain?
The gain might be financial, political, reputational, or benefit family, friends, or associates. It need not be money.
4) Did the abuse cause harm, or undermine the public interest?
Corruption typically results in unfairness, loss of trust, distorted decision-making, or other harm to society or an organisation.
If the answer to all those questions is 'yes' it is a good indication of the subject being corrupt.
My reason for posting this on a thread about Farage are, of course, obvious.
I'm interested in what conclusions others might come to after considering those questions...
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/podcasts/prospect-podcast/73989/a-barrel-of-rotting-apples-political-corruption-in-modern-britain?
The link works for me, but I have a subscription to Prospect. It may not work for anyone else...
Barrington has a written a book about corruption due to be published in a few day's time.