Political Corruption Goes Viral

It's not only Europe that does the corruption two-step.

Now we got abuse of Execitive power in the US and Australia.

Trump's being done for abusing his position to ruin the reputations of presidential candidates with a pay-check to Ukraine.

Now Senator Bridget Mckenzie, Australia's Agriculture Minister and Deputy Leader of the National Party, is being investigated for using $100 milion in public funds to buy 2019 election votes for the Coalition Government. The Prime Minister knew this was happening, as evident from emails to and from his office, but he still denies it.

These aren't the only public cases in recent years. We recall Hiliary Clinton's email scandal and a few lower level pollies dabbling in cash for politics in Australia.

But now we're getting into the highest offices of government.



Continental leaders must be proud.




Of course, as Lord Acton famously stated in the 1800s, power tends to corrupt. But this truism was known and planned for and analysed for thousands of years, and academically at least since Plato's Guardians in his The Republic.

Power corrupts because it does. This is an effective tautology observed from numerous examples through history and often very publically. The fact it happens so much is why so many systems and philosophies of government analyse the relationship and propose preventions, checks and balances etc, which are written into foresighted constitutions and law.

Lord Acton was not expressing a piece of insightful wisdom, but simply enunciating a well-known fact.


We all know this shit goes on. So we feel something warm inside when they get caught.

But why does it happen?
Why don't we expect it and plan for it?
Who polices the police? Who oversees the overseer?

Isn't there in infinite regression here with the concept of preventing corruption through endless superimposing supervision?

Obviously whatever checks, balances, laws, policies, probity processes, public supervision and regulatory voyeurism is happening, it's not flawless and it must appear weak enough for executive leaders elected to high office to have a go at it time and again.

Don't forget it takes two parties to be corrupt and each will need support from others who are in on it.

Power corrupts groups, not individuals.

But why does it happen at all?

Why is it so inevitable to abuse your power and position to benefit yourself? What is the morality driving that behaviour?

Is it power that corrupts, or just being human?

Being Human Corrupts.

But not all humans have the same access or power. They have the powerful Motive, but not so much the Means or Opportunity.

Sure, power creates greater opportunities to gain benefit and to do so undercover of powerful office.

Clergy abuse the power of their office and their organisation to hide their corrupt activities with choir boys and protect themselves from being found out and/or punished.

Perhaps Opportunity Corrupts, is the better truism.

In this sense, the term Power is already integrated within Opportunity. Opportunities are directly proportional to power.

The problem is immense. There are as many corruptions as there are benefits.

For every benefit, there is as many means to acquire it fairly as there are to acquire it unfairly.

That's a lot of potential corruption and the activity is not limited to the government.

Parents can do it with their kids. Businesses with each other, their clients and suppliers.

Teachers can do it with students.

Clergy with their parish.

Producers with actors.

Not just the elite.

So: Benefit Opportunity Corrupts All Who Desire Benefit.

Or more simply.

Benefit Corrupts.

Whatever configuration between subject and predicate, there is one thing missing.

What is the opposing solution?

No Benefit, No Corruption. ?  Sounds like North Korea.

Unless you're part of the government, you are living a life without benefit, so a life without corruption.

Not much of a solution. But maybe...