For non-sadistic reasons, I am indeed feeling on top of the world watching the contortions of Cameron, Murdoch et al in the gyrations of News International and its phone bugging / tapping episodes, the Leveson inquiry. The situation defines “Hoist with one’s own petard”.
What the UK is experiencing, and it is a warning shot across the bow for all the developed countries that bathe themselves in the glory of being transparent, honest, open etc., is a severe comeuppance. Corruption is – contrary to the assiduously developed nose-thumbing attitude that it is endemic to the developing countries (read China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, Cuba et al) – pandemic, globally pandemic. Corruption is a simple sociological, emergent phenomenon of group living that requires rules, regulations, laws, punishments etc. It cannot be wished away.
True, the levels and varieties of corruption are more starkly visible and have more deleterious effects in the developing world on their effects on national development. But, to be sure, every developed country has gone through the same stages of development-cum-corruption. Remember “Robber barons” of the 19th century US. Indeed, I would even dare say that without corruption, a country cannot become “developed”, as reckoned through the consumption paradigm – the more you consume the more developed you are. It is consumption that breeds corruption.
Think on this.
Raghuram Ekambaram
What the UK is experiencing, and it is a warning shot across the bow for all the developed countries that bathe themselves in the glory of being transparent, honest, open etc., is a severe comeuppance. Corruption is – contrary to the assiduously developed nose-thumbing attitude that it is endemic to the developing countries (read China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, Cuba et al) – pandemic, globally pandemic. Corruption is a simple sociological, emergent phenomenon of group living that requires rules, regulations, laws, punishments etc. It cannot be wished away.
True, the levels and varieties of corruption are more starkly visible and have more deleterious effects in the developing world on their effects on national development. But, to be sure, every developed country has gone through the same stages of development-cum-corruption. Remember “Robber barons” of the 19th century US. Indeed, I would even dare say that without corruption, a country cannot become “developed”, as reckoned through the consumption paradigm – the more you consume the more developed you are. It is consumption that breeds corruption.
Think on this.
Raghuram Ekambaram
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