Corruption, Tax avoidance and “Jobs for the Boys”: Only in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal? Oh No!!
As the euro and financial crises have deepened and worsened, Northern Europe has- shamelessly and arrogantly- linked mainly corruption, including tax avoidance and evasion, in Southern Europe as the pivotal reason for Europe’s economic crises. True or not true, this, cannot be the end of the story, as it gives rise to a false belief that Northern Europe is honest, ethical and not corrupt.
What we should remember is the fact that in Northern Europe they deviously manage to hide their corruption, misdeeds, and “jobs for the boys”, for example, by wrapping them in the mumbo jumbo of the efficient market economy, the need for deregulation and private sector is good, etc, etc.
To highlight the above, let me share a couple of examples from a Northern European country, namely, the UK: the green and pleasant land, the land of the fair playing filed, where supposedly the democratically elected governments do not dish out jobs to their friends and cronies, and the ethical citizens happily pay their taxes!
Welfare to work 'fraud scandal'
The welfare to work firm owned by David Cameron’s former families tsar is involved in a “multi-billion-pound scandal” in which public money has been systematically misused (A bit like Greece, you might say-KM)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9286323/Welfare-to-work-fraud-scandal.html
Tax avoidance costs UK economy £69.9 billion a year
New report from the Tax Justice Network highlights the staggering extent of global tax evasion (A bit like Greece, you might say-KM)
http://www.taxjustice.net/cms/front_content.php?idcatart=2&lang=1
The Moral Blindness of the English Posh Boys
The Corrupting of the British Politics, Politicians and Institutions: A very sad day for democracy (A bit like Greece, you might say-KM)
http://gcgi.info/kamrans-blog/152-the-moral-blindness-of-the-english-posh-boys-
Political corruption reflects the widening chasm between the political class and the electorate
The corruption and hypocrisy which has come to characterise politics and politicians, and in particular the police highlights the widening chasm between the political class and the electorate (A bit like Greece, you might say-KM)