The Loss of Purity: The Corruption of Public Service in Britain

More often than not the word corruption is taken to mean &dquo;the abandonment of expected standards of behaviour by those in authority for the sake of unsanctioned personal advantage&dquo; (Pinto-Duschinsky 1985, p.164). While there can be little doubt that corruption of this sort does indeed take place at all levels of government in the United Kingdom, it is probably a minor problem; and it is certainly a minor problem in comparison with the all-pervasive, more insidious and pernicious form of corruption which is increasingly evident throughout the public sector. This second form of corruption, which may be generally described as &dquo;the perversion or abandonment of a standard&dquo; (Pinto-Duschinsky 1985, p.163), and which is consistent with other dictionary definitions, for example, to make putrid, to taint, to debase, to spoil, to destroy the purity of, and to pervert, is evident in the governance of the United Kingdom over the past few years. In particular, the ethic of public service has been tainted, debased, spoiled and perverted. It now rarely exists in its purest form