What did they think would happen?
Apparently right wing commentators have watched one drama on the Post Office scandal and decided that the UK is rife with corruption and cronyism.
Doubtless they still think it has been like that for more than 14 years, because it cannot possibly be the result of 14 years of Tory misrule. But what did they really think was happening before now? Because the rest of us saw this coming a mile off.
PPE contracts for mates, paying MPs for influence, lobbying through bogus charities for ever more tax cuts, employing former ministers and even PM’s to get contracts, civil servants joining and even running the companies they used to regulate, weaker banking rules, more bonuses for short term profits.
Then you can de-regulate and just trust companies to do the right thing, allow regulatory capture, abolish the Audit Commission, weaken workers rights and Union power until they are virtually worthless, then you fine companies that deliberately break the law less than they save by breaking the law.
The last one has been bothering me for a while, because I thought you could ban people from being company directors if they have broken the law. But apparently saying you are deliberately breaking the law and shafting your workers to save money is perfectly alright.
Oh, and then you can pay a few thousand to meet ministers and the PM, who will help you dodge millions in tax, or win contracts for companies that have repeatedly failed or are going to the wall, perfectly legally.
As a result you get the Post Office scandal, filthy water, companies that break the law, useless PPE, dodgy land deals, special tax treatments and yes; cronyism and corruption.
Private Eye is doubtless already covering the next major scandal, which will doubtless be a major shock when it finally gets made into an ITV drama. But to be honest you could write it now, the system will create dozens of them; it has been watered down, weakened, corrupted and designed to fail.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media