By Kerri Turner
There is a rich literature on political corruption because many people feel that the words are axiomatic. To be political is to be corrupt and to be corrupt is political. If course this is not true. In living memory there was was a British Prime Minister who was incorruptible until she was forced out of the profession because she would not bend with the times. There was also a politician in ancient Greece who was said to be incorruptible.
There are many interesting books on the topic of how politicians become corrupted. Some start off as primary school teachers, pastors or trade union leaders and within a decade find themselves living it up on the world stage quite oblivious of the sufferings of their countrymen.
There are many interesting books on the topic of how politicians become corrupted. Some start off as primary school teachers, pastors or trade union leaders and within a decade find themselves living it up on the world stage quite oblivious of the sufferings of their countrymen.
Western journalists are apt to be sarcastic about Third World politicians who preside over regimes that are as rotten as overripe tomatoes. In their reports and reviews they tend to imply that America and European countries are beyond reproach and the upholders of unquestionable ethical standards. It may be true that in countries like America some journalists can get away with absurd allegations accusation about the President but wily politicians have long had ways of dismissing absurd accusations and persisting with agendas that are cynically corrupt.
Hypocrisy may be seen as a sort of soft corruption that is immoral because it is dishonest and insincere. For example, a country that openly criticizes other countries for human rights abuses but overlooks these abuses when it comes to convenient arms deal is hypocritical. Hypocrisy may not result in violence or death but it is nevertheless a sort of slithery moral slime that rots the very fabric of power in a country.
Bribery is closely associated with hypocrisy but is not quite as sinister since it does not involve self deception, but rather blatant dishonesty. A spectacular instance of bribery took place in South Africa shortly after a 'free and fair' democratic election which brought former 'freedom fighters' to power in a blaze of publicity. With straight faces the Press informed the public that the country needed fleets of naval craft, submarines, aircraft and other military hardware even though the country had no discernible enemies. Behind this spectacular fraud were bribes paid to politicians by European firms.
The role of the Press in combating political corruption is the subject of books written by those with inside knowledge. It is the task of investigative journalists to expose corruption t
Hypocrisy may be seen as a sort of soft corruption that is immoral because it is dishonest and insincere. For example, a country that openly criticizes other countries for human rights abuses but overlooks these abuses when it comes to convenient arms deal is hypocritical. Hypocrisy may not result in violence or death but it is nevertheless a sort of slithery moral slime that rots the very fabric of power in a country.
Bribery is closely associated with hypocrisy but is not quite as sinister since it does not involve self deception, but rather blatant dishonesty. A spectacular instance of bribery took place in South Africa shortly after a 'free and fair' democratic election which brought former 'freedom fighters' to power in a blaze of publicity. With straight faces the Press informed the public that the country needed fleets of naval craft, submarines, aircraft and other military hardware even though the country had no discernible enemies. Behind this spectacular fraud were bribes paid to politicians by European firms.
The role of the Press in combating political corruption is the subject of books written by those with inside knowledge. It is the task of investigative journalists to expose corruption t
Bribery is closely associated with hypocrisy but is not quite as sinister since it does not involve self deception, but rather blatant dishonesty. A spectacular instance of bribery took place in South Africa shortly after a 'free and fair' democratic election which brought former 'freedom fighters' to power in a blaze of publicity. With straight faces the Press informed the public that the country needed fleets of naval craft, submarines, aircraft and other military hardware even though the country had no discernible enemies. Behind this spectacular fraud were bribes paid to politicians by European firms.
The role of the Press in combating political corruption is the subject of books written by those with inside knowledge. It is the task of investigative journalists to expose corruption to public scrutiny and that has been admirably done in many instances, for example when the shenanigans of Richard Nixon were exposed in America. However, problems in the process arise after corruption has been exposed because the self interest of journalism can become a sort of political issue in itself as journalist begin to wield power and find themselves subject to the same sort of temptations that politicians experience.
Cozy relationships between politicians and journalists since well before the Second World war. Perhaps it is to the benefit of politics that newspapers are rapidly becoming obsolete and being replaced by TV stations and social networking sites. The global public can compare channels across a wide range.
The book publishing industry has joined the paperless revolution in no uncertain fashion. Ebooks, electronic readers and self publishing on the World Wide Web are all seminal changes in the intellectual and social dimensions of the world. It is a world in which political corruption will probably survive, but under different circumstances.
About the Author:
The role of the Press in combating political corruption is the subject of books written by those with inside knowledge. It is the task of investigative journalists to expose corruption to public scrutiny and that has been admirably done in many instances, for example when the shenanigans of Richard Nixon were exposed in America. However, problems in the process arise after corruption has been exposed because the self interest of journalism can become a sort of political issue in itself as journalist begin to wield power and find themselves subject to the same sort of temptations that politicians experience.
Cozy relationships between politicians and journalists since well before the Second World war. Perhaps it is to the benefit of politics that newspapers are rapidly becoming obsolete and being replaced by TV stations and social networking sites. The global public can compare channels across a wide range.
The book publishing industry has joined the paperless revolution in no uncertain fashion. Ebooks, electronic readers and self publishing on the World Wide Web are all seminal changes in the intellectual and social dimensions of the world. It is a world in which political corruption will probably survive, but under different circumstances.
About the Author:
If you are looking for a new fiction novel on political corruption go to www.patlawrence.net. You can find this book in downloadable format when you visit http://www.patlawrence.net for details.