Legal corruption in IrelandUnfortunately I couldn't attend the launch yesterday of Transparency International's report on corruption in Ireland. It appears to have received good coverage in the media. The report concludes that petty corruption is virtually absent in this country. Thankfully we don't find ourselves in the position of being asked to hand over a few extra euro in order to have an order for a new phone line processed or asked if we'd like to pay a garda in order to get a parking fine quashed (though I think I know a few people for whom that particular scenario might seem attractive). The study also found little evidence of grand corruption which we now know to have been commonplace during the 80s and 90s and this is to be welcomed. What it does highlight is the problem of legal corruption, the persuasion of someone because you knew them at school, the ability to get favours through connections and donations. For the last few weeks I've been thinking about this problem in relation to the financial crisis and the problems that have hit our banks. I see the root of these as being this kind of cronyism and old boys' network that seems to be an inevitable part of Irish life. Are we just too small a population to be able to root this out. Is the fact that we only number a little over four million our major handicap? Add a CommentYour comment will appear once it has been approved. |