To think that this country is utterly corrupt?

[bingbangbing]

After the Sabinsky scandal, I can't help but think this.

This government was elected on a pack of lies, I think we all know that there will not be 40 new hospitals etc

Even before Boris took over, we had Hancock giving speeches from the HQ of Babylon.

The attacks on the media are nothing short of dictatorial- the gov is going after the BBC and has made threatening noises towards C4.

We were one of the most respected governments- the mother of all parliaments, an old and stable country. Famous for reason and restraint.

What the fuck happened?

I have a library in walking distance and three more within a 15 minute drive, plus three swimming pools within a 20 minute drive. Maybe you need to move to a different area, OP?

YANBU we need PR and a thorough overhaul of the political system.

Utterly corrupt? You haven’t the faintest idea what an utterly corrupt government is. If you did, this thread won’t even be here. By all means complain about government wrong doings.

I remember Blair well.

What I can't remember is tacit endorsement of racists.

I can't remember being lied to with such utter cynicism.

The cynicism is throughout society- we actually accept shit services now

@Catscakeandchocolate very true.

The hiring and firing of Sabinsky isn't corruption. Its a failure of interviewing and vetting. Whilst it could have been handled better with proper statements and acknowledgements, Sabinsky is no longer employed.

Corruption is more like accepting payment from Iran to spout anti government propaganda on their state sponsored mouthpiece TV station.

I am sure there are instances of corruption in the political and corporate world. But I wouldn't mind betting that the UK is somewhere near the top of least corrupt world states. Not perfect, I know. But we're about as good as it gets in practice.

YY to proportional representation. Is there a petition for that I can sign?

Public pressure got Brexit through, so it can be done for PR, I'm sure. Only problem is that it doesn't benefit the main two parties to switch- it's clearly the fairer system, so how on Earth they've gotten away with not implementing it for so long is baffling.

I do not support the conservatives in any way whatsoever, but this country is very far from corrupt. Try living in India, Egypt, Indonesia, Zimbabwe...

Since when have politicians kept their election promises? Anywhere?

Yanbu at all. I honesty don’t know why we’re not out rioting in the streets. Total fucking apathy as usual I supposed. It’s like we’re all just resigned to life being completely shit from now on.

There's been suggestions of corruption for every government and shadow government for years and years. Why has just this government caused your wrath this morning?

This. Trying to pin decades, if not centuries of dodgy dealings on one set of politicians is naive at best.

And I grew up in a "crap town" of Britain, and whilst we had a library and a pool, they were both an hour's walk away (the bus service was non-existant, and couldn't afford a fare anyway on top of swimming money).
Perhaps you just enjoyed a better standard of living than your son?

If you look at what the government's of yesteryear did to the miners, it's pretty easy to see that it wasn't all roses back then either.

"What I can't remember is tacit endorsement of racists."

I think actually, the fact that during the Blair (and Cameron) governments race and immigration could not be discussed, for fear of being called racist created a lot of what we're seeing today. People had genuine concerns that weren't discussed, let alone dealt with and that's lead to the backlash we see today, where it's OK to be openly racist.

I can't remember being lied to with such utter cynicism

And yet you mention Blair.

(who I voted for and whose shiny New Labour promises I also fell for. That was a truly cynical bunch )

The NHS is very much for sale. Very definitely.

Again, I don't think that because other countries are worse, that we should just accept decline.

Really glad the government is going after the BBC - completely biased, intolerant and corrupt organisation that it has become. C4 just as politically biased too. They never used to be - it was more impartial. So actually what OP is moaning about is the fact that she can't continue with this bias and corruption. You couldn't make it up.

There are plenty of countries where bribery and corruption are everywhere, like oxygen. Where quite apart from high level stuff, massive bribes of ministers etc. in order to land lucrative contracts, ordinary people need to bribe officials for so many things - and those officials are purposely low paid, because it’s generally acknowledged that they will increase their income by bribery. So it’s a vicious circle.

When I first worked in the Middle East, with mostly Indian colleagues, I was naively very shocked when one such man told me that his wife in India needed money in a hurry, but he’d need to add extra for the bribe - without which the official in the bank or whatever it was, would simply refuse to hand it over. My naive shock amused him a good deal!

A dd and friends, crossing a land border between two SE Asian countries, refused for several hours to pay the border official the $3 or $5 bribe (I forget which) each, that he demanded. In the end they gave in, because he simply refused to let them enter otherwise.

Of course the U.K. isn’t perfect - I’m not sure where is! - but anyone who thinks it’s ‘utterly corrupt’ evidently has absolutely no idea of what is so often the norm in other parts of the world.

But I am sad to see some of the loss of pride in local and national civic culture, swimming pools, libraries etc. That is sad. But all the huge amount of tax money in this country is going somewhere ....

Actually doesn't the fact that he's been sacked prove the system does work and isn't corrupt enough to protect the cronies? Either the recruitment process didn't weed him out or those recruiting him didn't mind about his views, but once the press uncovered his history he was gone.

Thought this was going to be about Kerry and Kurtin.

Yes, Getting, good points in terms of comparison, always worth remembering.

Again, I don't think that because other countries are worse, that we should just accept decline.

That's not your stated argument though. You said, 'AIBU To think that this country is utterly corrupt?'

To which the answer is, yes, YABU. Because it's not utterly corrupt.

The BBC are basically government spokespeople IMO. It tended to be that leavers thought they supported remain and vice versa so in any case the jury is out on that.

As for C4, thank the Lord someone is doing some high profile opposing because the Labour Party certainly isn’t.

And I guess the people who think that the BBC and C4 are biased have no issue with the Murdoch press. That’s okay apparently.