re: #87 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

A real, actual political scandal is going on in the UK:

ibtimes.co.uk

The “cash-for-questions” lobbying scandal has spread to the House of Lords only days after ending the career of Tory MP Patrick Mercer.

Investigations by two national newspapers and the BBC have led to more damaging revelations of a lobbying racket operating in parliament.

Lord Cunningham, Lord Laird and Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate are accused of taking money to ask parliamentary questions, lobby ministers and host events on the House of Lords terrace.

…

I hope they go to prison.

As do I. “Cash-for Questions” is pure corruption, made even worse by the fact that the person engaged in it is claiming to have been acting on behalf of his constituents when he was really doing the bidding of some special interest fat cat. As a Chicago native, I’ll leave the last word in this post for Al Capone:

“A crook is a crook, and there’s something healthy about his frankness in the matter. But any guy who pretends he is enforcing the law and steals on his authority is a swell snake. The worst type of these punks is the big politician. You can only get a little of his time because he spends so much time covering up that no one will know that he is a thief. A hard-working crook will-and can-get those birds by the dozen, but right down in his heart he won’t depend on them-hates the sight of them.”