Posts Tagged ‘United Kingdom’

Tony Blair and the Unusual Case of Campbell’s Law

Posted: June 28, 2017 in Corruption, Elections, Government, Institutions
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When sociologist Donald T Campbell came up with his eponymous law, one wonders if he expected it to be of theoretical or practical use. Campbell’s Law states that, “the more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.” Originally intended to measure crime rates and other social phenomena it has been adapted to use in corruption studies. Tony Blair as Prime Minister of Great Britain is exemplified as a textbook case of Campbell’s Law. (more…)

Reflections on the May Elections: The Relevance of Voters?

Posted: May 6, 2017 in Corruption, Elections, Governance, Special Interest Groups
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Never underestimate the wisdom of the old saying, “what Britain needs is another good war”. Peace, jobs, wages, NHS are boring and responsible for the national malaise in politics. Or are they? The May 5th local elections are over and the June 8th general election is on its way.  (more…)

Ibori Won!

Posted: February 7, 2017 in Corruption, Government, Leadership, Power, Social Relations, Special Interest Groups
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James Ibori is both Nigeria and a Nigerian in the most representative of terms. The Ibori Corruption Saga has much less implication for the ex-governor of Delta State himself; it is a signature of Nigeria as it, its forgettable past and possibly its uncertain future. Ibori’s triumphant entry into Nigeria is seriously superficial, his real welcome was a very deep reflection of the expectations and preferences of the ruling elite in Nigeria and their clients. Ibori’s return home to Nigeria is a test for all who have misgoverned and stolen big from Nigeria. (more…)

Give Nigeria Back Its Stolen Funds: A Challenge to the United Kingdom

Posted: July 31, 2016 in Corruption, Governance, Government, Institutions, Justice, Leadership, Markets, Power, Special Interest Groups
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A keynote lecture presented at Green Economics Institute 11th Annual Conference at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, England on the 29th of July 2016. The moderator was Miriam Kennet, the CEO of the Green Economics Institue.

 

Literature in Schools Poisoned the “Nigeria Mind”

Posted: October 10, 2014 in Corruption, Governance, Institutions
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This was the role model for generations of Nigerian primary school children.

This was Ali the role model for generations of Nigerian primary school children.

It is easy to deride Nigeria and Nigerians because there are ample bases for it and its often convenient; “Nigeria is a Nation of Thieves” as Colin Powell once said or “Nigeria is a Nation of 419ers” or “Nigeria is the most Corrupt Nation in the World” etc. Such derision about Nigeria is mostly about deception and corruption. Unsurprisingly, these vices can be said to be surreptitiously caused in the national primary education institution of the 1970s onwards, attributable to the “New Oxford English Course Reader” (NOECR); the only literature, virtually poison, available to primary school kids in the curriculum. (more…)