Failing to make connections

Last night’s ‘Prime Time Investigates’ revealed evidence of massive corruption in the Irish housing market. Estate agents, developers and estate management company’s are ripping off house buyers in scams that would make the mafia blush. The few laws governing this area are broken with impunity.

In recent times this excellent programme has exposed similar corruption in the legal, health, banking and motor industry. Here are a few questions.

Why is it that a television crew can go out any day, pick any industry, and uncover serious criminal activity? There are dozens of so called regulators in Ireland, yet they never uncover this type of corruption.

Why is it that no action has been taken against these criminals? The evidence is there on file and film, just waiting for a police investigation. Nothing ever happens.

Why is it that the Irish people never get angry when they see that the State protects the criminals at the expense of the consumers?

A hint of an answer can be derived from the recent polls carried out after our Prime Minister was found to have accepted ‘loans’ and ‘gifts’ from friends. A majority of people felt that his actions were wrong but that he should not be held accountable.

In other words, Irish people are unable to make a connection between a rampantly corrupt society and the dodgy behavior of politicians. They fail to see that the corrupt take their cue from the actions of the body politic.

For so long as they fail to make this connection, they will continue to be robbed.