Poss TPD implementation Spain

[Mawsley]

The UN corruption stats and rankings are based on perceptions as much as evidence, perhaps more so. So the type of corruption you're talking about factors in heavily.

In 2013 the UK ranked 14 out of 175, way behind the Scandinavian countries ... way above Spain, ranked 40th and with their scores worsening.

Unless you only holiday in fully inclusive resorts, the public perceptions of corruption are palpable when you travel abroad. You only have to scratch the surface to find how rotten the underbelly is. As much as we love to whinge and moan about life in the UK, there's plenty worse places to live.

I lived in Colombia and Venezuela where bribery and corruption are in your face if you want to get anything done - and I preferred it.

There's something refreshingly honest about people telling you how much it will cost to achieve an end result. Not least because you get exactly what you pay for and usually by the time agreed.

Yep, it's not fair and equitable but then neither is attempting to get planning permission from Kettering Borough Council.

 

[scrumpox]

Jesus! Something refreshingly honest about bribery and corruption ... that's certainly a view. Transparency has a value I suppose, even when transparently abhorrent.

 

[dw1986]

I lived in Colombia and Venezuela where bribery and corruption are in your face if you want to get anything done - and I preferred it.

There's something refreshingly honest about people telling you how much it will cost to achieve an end result. Not least because you get exactly what you pay for and usually by the time agreed.

Yep, it's not fair and equitable but then neither is attempting to get planning permission from Kettering Borough Council.

Likewise with when I lived in Indonesia, forgot to extend your visa and time rapidly running out? No problem, just chuck a couple of thousand rupiah (equivalent to a few pounds) in between the pages of your passport and your visa renewal form (literally), visa magically extended in 48 hours instead of the 'mandatory' 3 week wait and even delivered in person to your apartment...

Caught with a crafty 'jazz cigarette' on Sanur beach and don't fancy a year inside an Indonesian prison? No worries, few thousand rupiah in the top pocket of the arresting officer, 'jazz cigarette' magically disappears and you were never arrested...

 

[Mawsley]

Likewise with when I lived in Indonesia, forgot to extend your visa and time rapidly running out? No problem, just chuck a couple of thousand rupiah (equivalent to a few pounds) in between the pages of your passport and your visa renewal form (literally), visa magically extended in 48 hours instead of the 'mandatory' 3 week wait and even delivered in person to your apartment...

Caught with a crafty 'jazz cigarette' on Sanur beach and don't fancy a year inside an Indonesian prison? No worries, few thousand rupiah in the top pocket of the arresting officer, 'jazz cigarette' magically disappears and you were never arrested...

Yep

Want a driving licence? Pop along to the department and pay them some money. Don't fancy the queue to pay a bribe for a driving licence? Pay this man here by the door and he'll lead you up the stairs to the front of the queue. Awesome!

 

[dw1986]

Yep

Want a driving licence? Pop along to the department and pay them some money. Don't fancy the queue to pay a bribe for a driving licence? Pay this man here by the door and he'll lead you up the stairs to the front of the queue. Awesome!

Efficiency at its absolute finest I miss it....

 

[Koeshi]

Likewise with when I lived in Indonesia, forgot to extend your visa and time rapidly running out? No problem, just chuck a couple of thousand rupiah (equivalent to a few pounds) in between the pages of your passport and your visa renewal form (literally), visa magically extended in 48 hours instead of the 'mandatory' 3 week wait and even delivered in person to your apartment...

Caught with a crafty 'jazz cigarette' on Sanur beach and don't fancy a year inside an Indonesian prison? No worries, few thousand rupiah in the top pocket of the arresting officer, 'jazz cigarette' magically disappears and you were never arrested...

It does make you wonder how they keep things running though. When I was in Russia, rather than paying for a 400 rubel ticket on the train each my friend just gave the conductor 200 to leave us alone. Surprised their economy isn't even worse than it already is.

 

[dw1986]

It does make you wonder how they keep things running though. When I was in Russia, rather than paying for a 400 rubel ticket on the train each my friend just gave the conductor 200 to leave us alone. Surprised their economy isn't even worse than it already is.

Because pointless bureaucracy and paperwork is kept to an absolute minimum?

 

[Koeshi]

Because pointless bureaucracy and paperwork is kept to an absolute minimum?

Russia, minimal bureaucracy? Those words don't go together without a negative added in.

 

[dw1986]

Russia, minimal bureaucracy? Those words don't go together without a negative added in.

Was on about Indo, can't speak for Russia, never been myself, too fucking cold for tropical motherfuckers like me

 

[Koeshi]

Was on about Indo, can't speak for Russia, never been myself, too fucking cold for tropical motherfuckers like me

Ah I see, well Russia ia actually pretty hot in the summer at least as far north as Moscow, the southern regions around Georgia and Chechnya are even hotter.