United Kingdom corruption officially at its worst in modern times | Central Bylines
Backhander: the Tories have repeatedly insisted that apparent corruption that we’ve all observed really isn’t; will Labour do the same if Keir Starmer gets into Downing Street?
The UK is sinking into a mire of political corruption:
2023’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), recently published by Transparency International, shows that the UK has fallen from the 11th cleanest country for corruption in 2021, to 18th in 2022 and is now 20th in 2023 – its lowest ranking since records began in 1995.
In recent times, and unable to gain the support of Conservative moderates, the party has instead chosen to close the gap between itself and UKIP to leverage more radical support. For the sake of balance, I would happily concede that Labour also went off in search of more support from the left. These are not honest attempts to better represent their constituents but cynical attempts to capitalise on emerging power bases – in the case of UKIP, inflamed by the careful stoking of a culture war.
The neo-liberals of the noughties – with a little help from their friends – started to see just what the possibilities were when it came to flexing the tolerances of our political system and leveraging new technology to influence voters.
For example, Matthew Elliott worked hard as founder of several organisations over years, determined to make the case for a new type of conservatism. Part of the Tufton Street furniture, he founded the TaxPayers’ Alliance (2004), Big Brother Watch (2009) and possibly the most clear red flag of all of his real intentions, the Conservative Friends of Russia (2012).
And – true to form – despite many senior Conservatives’ mysteriously close relations with dozens of Russia’s oligarchs, the Conservative Friends was just re-branded.
They all seem to share a common trait – lack of clarity over how they are funded. Each time a Tufton St associate appears on our screens or writes their next column, this lack of transparency can only lead to questions about the abuse of our trust in the institutions of our country; and each incursion into our democracy (whether as think tanks, research groups, trade groups or even cultural exchanges) creates a new opportunity for corruption.
With the political, business and romantic affairs of so many politicians mixed up with each other, it is difficult to see how we could ever be really sure that entrusted power is not being used for private gain.
So the Central Bylines article quoted above suggests that the Tufton Street “think tanks” are stoking corruption.
We’re also hearing that corruption is being boosted by corporate influence over political parties – with firms currently infiltrating election front-runners the Labour Party in order to persuade or bribe its leaders to follow their lead rather than lift a finger for the people who may actually elect them.
This Writer would suggest the billionaire-owned mainstream media, along with social media platform owners, as another source of corruption.
Can you think of any other sources of corruption?
Source: United Kingdom corruption officially at its worst in modern times – Central Bylines
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the right margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Join the uPopulus group at https://upopulus.com/groups/vox-political/
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
