Corruption free?

[Bangkok]

Is any elected body that holds material power free from corruption?  From the local council awarding contracts to friends, to Labour exempting tobacco bans for Formula One, to the Tories brown paper bag nightmare, to the EU gravy train, to terrible things in Least Developed / Developing Countries, it seems everyone is tainted.

[Bangkok]

Before anyone posts that they are / are related to / are friends with a non-corrupt elected person, I firmly believe that every elected body has exceptional public servants that are not corrupt.  However, their colleagues may bring the whole into disrepute.

[Carlos26]

On a broader note, I'd say that most things in life have some degree of corruption. Sports, cricket and football, with people gambling on themselves/against themselves, boxing; people taking dives, promoters using a favoured hierarchy. Business, almost everywhere there's a clique which establishes success through personality rather than a sound business plan.  As long as the corruption is minimal, I think we've got to accept it as human nature, and look at the success as a whole.