Politics and honesty are like oil and water
One of the titles I’m presently enjoying is Paul Collier’s Wars, Guns and Votes – Democracy in Dangerous Places (2009). The book makes important observations and one of the many nuggets goes: “If being honest and competent does not give you an electoral advantage, then the honest and competent will be discouraged. Crooks will replace honest candidates. One depressing indicator of such a process is that democratic politics in the countries of the bottom billion tends to attract candidates with criminal recorders…Evidently, one reason elected office is more attractive to criminals than the honest is that only criminals will take advantage of the opportunities for corruption. But there is sometimes a further reason: elected office provides immunity from prosecution” (27).
BOOM!