as the Corrupt trade

international | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis

Monday October 24, 2005 22:11

by iosaf

Last week saw the publication of this year's "transparency org" world corruption perception report. Its a report which is taken seriously by some, and certainly no country looking for foreign investment wants to be at the bottom of the 158 rankings.

But both the annual list of "corruption perception" and "bribery perception" indixes, can not be understood as isolated statistics. Just as Greenspan's biographer assured us he takes stock of over 4000 weekly indicators, we can not consider just one single country or economy when discussing corruption or bribery. Nor can we refuse to draw in other human development indicators, (the UNHDR report) all the usual "facts and figures" and internal data.

where the ruffians and loveable rogues do business & banking is where children are sold, birds have flu, and misery is cheap.

For every country is surely different. We speak about Africa this year, becuase in every accepted indicator for poverty, Africa comes last.

But the causes of poverty, exclusion and inequality are not found in Africa alone. African states have come last as is expected in this year's corruption perception list, but so too have many South American states, with far higher average infrastructure, recently won "fairer judicial climates" and globally regarded more favourable trading positions.

I do not wish to treat on African corruption indicators in this evening's article, rather to remind readers that those who profit from corruption are also found in multiple states. We may read the list
http://www.transparency.org/cpi/2005/cpi2005_infocus.html#cpi as our peers did at a politics blog earlier and consider Ireland's lower ranking that last year.

http://www.sluggerotoole.com/archives/2005/10/more_corrupt_th.php
But most of us will not consider that there are many who see in this list of impoverishment and criminality :-
"a directory of opportunity".

Anti-corruption measures have been steadily introduced in the EU for the last decade, each state of the former 15, and more recently the 25 have seen inquiries, tribunals, scandals, as the political elite of post-war Europe on both left and right were found to count amongst their respected ranks, men (& women) who could smell out a dodgy business deal at a thousand miles.

Those who survived that era of British Tory, French Centre, British Labour, corruption and graft scandals in everything from procurement, to real restate development to quite plain theft
feel their dealings may still be done elsewhere, and it has become very clear in the last 2 years where the Irish players went.

"out east"

Corruption and Bribery, sustain mafia societies, where psycopaths take public office in consort with business. The clear result is poverty.

I'm out of time. got a white curly wire going down the neck of my shirt, and I got to move now. I might update my opinion tomorrow.