Corruption Is Fun. If You’re On The Right Side Of It
November 13, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: As the Chinese joke goes, corruption is fun, if you’re on the right side of it. But seriously, why is corruption so widespread in China? There are several reasons for that: the partially reformed economy, the reluctance to enforce legislation and the Communist Party of China’s refusal to conduct political reform. Countries in which the state is heavily involved in the economy have high levels of corruption. In China today the state still controls the commanding heights in the economy (heavy industries such as iron ore, steel, shipbuilding, etc.), with the private sector concentrating on consumer goods, especially for export. The state dominates banking, finance, power generation and natural resources. Many prices are state regulated as is the rate of interest...
Corruption Threatens China’s Future
November 12, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: Worldwide, the level of corruption depends on the state’s involvement in the economy. The greater the involvement of the state, the more corruption there is. How does one eliminate it? Take the state out of the economy. However, this is no longer feasible after the financial meltdown of 2008-09. Indeed, the state is becoming more involved in regulating market economies. Hence corruption is a growing problem in democracies and authoritarian states alike. China is a prime example. Corruption over there is linked to patronage. If one needs permission to do something the person who gives the permission becomes a patron. You become the client. In turn, if you obtain the permission you seek you acquire power. You can then act as a patron and acquire others as clients....
Is Corruption Undermining The Power of the Communist Party of China?
November 7, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: The revelations emerging from the present campaign against the triads, criminal gangs, in the city of Chongqing, in western China, has shocked many in China and abroad. So far over 3,000 hoods have been arrested. It is now clear that the police and judicial authorities have been colluding with the triads for at least two decades. The move against the criminals did not originate in Chongqing but in Beijing. It took the authority of President Hu Jintao to set the ball rolling. In other words, the local Party boss, Bo Xilai, was powerless to act on his own. Local syndicates were so entrenched – with high level patrons – that only the top leader could mobilise the police and legal resources to launch the drive against corruption. The city of 34 million is one...
The Seriously Corrupt Party: Tips To Aspiring Politicians
October 25, 2009
As our regular readers will know, last year our website has helped to launch a new political party in Britain, the Seriously Corrupt Party (SCP), which has been very effective in spreading its message and getting politicians from across the political divide to become seriously corrupt and abuse their position. It is thanks to a large extent to the tireless work of the SCP that so many members of the British parliament have been revealed as great enthusiast of corruption. It was heartening to see these MPs come up with the most ingenious methods of filing false expenses and fiddling with their home allowances, as it was revealed this year. Bravo, all of you! But the SCP wants to go even further in promoting corruption which it views as the main driving force of any political system. It wants...
Praising Corruption: A Statement By The Seriously Corrupt Party
October 20, 2009
Adam Lovejoy writes: As the scandal surrounding the parliamentary expenses of British members of parliament continues the one party that looks confidently into the future is the Seriously Corrupt Party (SCP). Regular readers of this website know that it was here that the SCP has announced about its creation and proclaimed its determination to make corruption in British political life something to be proud of again. The last several months have proven that the corrupt practices of the SCP are becoming more and more popular amongst British elected politicians. But, according to the SCP, more opportunities exist to spread corruption even wider and that is why the party is planning to launch a major public relations campaign promoting the benefits and advantages of political corruption, in all...
In Labour’s La-La Land Her Majesty’s Attorney General Is Above The Law.
September 24, 2009
Thomas Mathew writes: In the days when the Labour party was in opposition it continually attacked the last Conservative government for failing to maintain standards of basic decency expected by the electorate from those who were in public life.Yet, this very same Labour, once it came to power, quickly forgot about its previous stance and has been demonstrating total lack of any dignity, let alone shame. Tony Blair’s promise of Labour being ‘whiter than white’ was forgotten very quickly indeed. Things not only got better, as we were promised, but they have actually gotten much worse when it came to corruption and sleaze ate the very top of the political ladder in Britain. Labour in effect created a la-la land in politics when rules of decency and morality were simply flaunted and...
My Cat Kiss On Good And Bad Corruption
September 2, 2009
No more good corruption around these days, my cat, Kiss, pointed out to me, as we were sitting in the conservatory, meditating. It was raining outside and we were not in the mood to venture out. Kiss was lying on his mat and I was sitting in my rocking chair.How would you know, I said. You’re only five-years-old. Kiss shook his head. That’s thirty-five in human years, he said. I’m a mature cat, so that you know. An eligible bachelor in the cat world, as they call me. Mind you, in our cat world that does not imply that I’m gay. Right, I said. Mature. Eligible. Not gay. Go on… Kiss yawned, but in a conversational sort of way. Well, he said, when I was younger you could still encounter good corruption… He paused for a moment, as if asking my permission to continue. Please...
Will China’s Anti-Corruption Campaign Go The Way Of All The Others – And Fail?
August 25, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: Graft, bribery, corruption: these ills are synonymous with any communist rule and in country.The Communist Party of China (CPC) has been launching an anti-corruption campaign every year since the advent of economic reforms in 1978. But Little has changed. Indeed the problem appears to be getting worse. Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC and President of the country, is determined to make a difference this year. It is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. The upcoming Central Committee plenum promises to place it top of the agenda. Will it change anything? How does one combat corruption? In many ways, it is part and parcel of Chinese life. It is known as guanxi. If one wants to get anything done one needs to grease the right palms....
An Old Game Is Revived By Officials In Russia. It’s Called: Pretend That Everything Is Going Well
July 27, 2009
Anton Goryunov writes from Moscow: A popular old game has been revived by Russian officials of all ranks: it is called Pretend That Everything Is Going Well when you talk on the phone. According to the rules, no one is allowed to mention the ‘R’ word in their telephone conversations – ‘R’ as in recession, that is – and the idea is to sound convincing and upbeat whoever it is on the other end of the line. (I have heard that a similar game is now being played in Britain and the United States as well.) It goes something like this: Ivan: Hello, Boris. How are things at your department? Boris: Hello, Ivan. Things have been going very well recently. We are growing, we are prospering, we are expanding. And how about your department? Ivan: Oh, we are getting bigger by the...
Statement By The Seriously Corrupt Party On Parliamentary Expenses
June 20, 2009
There follows a statement by the Seriously Corrupt Party of Great Britain, delivered to our offices by courier. (For the twentieth time in the last two months so we had to agree to publish it.) We, members of the Seriously Corrupt Party of Great Britain (SCP), have been heartened to learn that more and more of our ideological allies in the House of Commons have been proving to be very resourceful in claiming their parliamentary expenses and allowances. Although we still do not have a single MP in the Commons, having not yet had a chance to field our candidates in a general election, we see that our potential power base in the chamber could grow significantly once we establish our presence there. The ingenuity with which some of the honourable members have been claiming their expenses leads...
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