Honesty is the only policy needed
I HAVE written before on the subject of power and the corrupting tendencies of power. It was a highlighted subject in the BBC series Line of Duty and humorously laughed at in Yes, Minister.
Yet in reality corruption is almost a national pastime, from the smallest little, almost harmless, act to studied calculated planned corruption... a favour here and there, a blind eye, a nod and a wink, and ‘you scratch my back and I will...’ and if it’s cash in hand for the job it’s no VAT and no business of HMRC.
The corruption is the B&B that preferred – even insisted – on cash only, no cheque or CC. The doctor, don, lawyer or businessman who pulled a few friendly strings and got their child into medical school, or a place in Oxford or Cambridge (“my old college”) via who they know rather than what the child knew.
In business, the tax allowable entertainment account that meant one company gave front-row Wimbledon seats to a client, or potential client – and do I need to spell out why ?
The travel agent bribed to sell holiday packages by one tour operator; while civil servants are told not to accept as much as a free cup of tea because of corruption... gently, gently could be the aim, and the Civil Service is a corruption-free zone.
Flat decoration is not just paint and wallpaper, it could be antique furniture, silver cutlery, Persian rugs, china, decorations, paintings on the wall... all personal effects, all put down on the bill as Dulux paint, not the property of the Ministry of Works.
Corruption can be like smoking – once you start, it’s very hard to give up. Sometimes, the corruptor will not let go.
This Prime Minister and his executive government have (I repeat, have) a consistent, repeated history of contractual agreements made with no competitive tender and have never given an answer to questions – even when told by experienced procurement staff – that they paid ‘way over price’ using taxpayers’ money.
This is not the practice of a diligent government and never has been. It begs the question: why not?
The most ardent supporter of the government should insist on this.
Let’s be quite clear... scientists have long talked of a pandemic and talked of the methodology of curative processes. For some time the talk was not if but when.
When it came, it was like this government arrived on the Normandy beaches a month after D-Day.
The scientists were already working at a vaccine, but this Government had no plans at all for social actions to curb its spread and thrashed around like a tethered donkey until somebody came up with a £37 billion ‘track and trace’ idea... the answer to nobody’s prayer.
Ministers at all levels should be seen to be free of any hint of corruption; not assumed to be so.
They should want it to be seen that no action they have taken, no decision they have made, was tainted with any possibility of corruption.
Or do they want to inherit a whirlwind?
Don Frampton Newton Abbot, Devon