Just How Corrupt Is Britain?

Many people think of Russia as corrupt, Greeks have long had a national obsession with avoiding tax, aid agencies have to work hard in many developing countries to keep the aid going to the people and not to profiteering politicians and gangs, but here in Britain we're above all that sort of thing aren't we?

Actually no, and hopefully we're about to find out to what extent. Millions of documents, literally millions, going back some forty years have been leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. That people like Valdimir Putin and Syria's Bashar al-Assad are found there comes as little surprise. That Mossack Fonseca knowingly aided criminals is certain, laundering of Brinks Matt robbery money alone proves that. It also proves they had 'business associates' right here in the UK.

Was any of Mossack Fonseca's business legitimate? Maybe some was, but generally the business sells a cloak of secrecy for those who simply want to avoid tax through to actual thieves and fraudsters. One journalist has estimated that ninety five per cent of Mossack Fonseca's business was effectively criminal in one way or another. It's probably unsafe to say that at this early stage, but it is at least credible given the raison d'etre of the company, and, given that credibility it's disappointing to find the prime minister's late father had been sheltering money in tax havens, using the services of a company like Mossack Fonseca and flying to Nassau periodically to pretend the company was run overseas.

With over eleven million documents for international journalists to sift through, then just like Wikileaks you can expect new revelations for some time to come. Inevitably Cameron senior will not be the only Briton implicated.

It seems to me that there are three key areas where we as humans are our own worst enemies. The first is war, the greatest evil we've invented and now we have the potential to kill off virtually all life on the planet. The second is our disregard for the planet and the species we share it with and the third is corruption. From local politicians going on paid trips abroad for spurious reasons, when they say they can't afford to fix potholes in the road or pay for school books, to national politicians and cheating 'businessmen' corruption holds us all back and it's right here in Britain. The only question is one of degree and soon we may know a little more.

Show the world what you think!