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Yes, legal bribes are how most of the Anglo-Saxon world works. For example, if I want certain favours from the current UK government, I can give a friend of min

Yes, legal bribes are how most of the Anglo-Saxon world works. For example, if I want certain favours from the current UK government, I can give a friend of mine an interest-free loan for him to donate significant sums of money to the current ruling party (Tories). You get away with this as long as there is no written record and just a discussion on the golf club. Not surprisingly, the government may then award you lucrative contracts or change the law in subtle ways that are in your favour. Of course, the friend in question will then get endorsed for a lucrative position, a cushy consultancy job or a non-executive board membership.

smcl 4y ago
I think that would still be illegal but just very hard to prove and prosecute.
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- oxfordmale 4y ago
  Illegal means it is beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a violation of the law. People do not get thrown in jail for donating money to political parties. Suggesting ideas to political parties is also not illegal. It is only illegal if the money is donated for the sole purpose of influencing a particular decision.
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rob74 4y ago
Those aren't legal either, unless you go by the motto "you are only guilty if you get caught"...
- oxfordmale 4y ago
  * A friend asks me to borrow $400K. He is a good friend, and I am happy to help him out * A few months later, he decides to donate $200K to a political party that happens to be in power at the time * The government makes certain decisions that appear to be in my favour. I discussed that certain changes would be helpful but never asked for them directly. Basically, it is a gentleman's agreement where no party involved explicitly asked for anything. Illegal in the spirit of the law, yes, provable in court beyond a reasonable doubt, no. As another poster highlighted, you don't even need to use a friend in the UK, you can donate directly. The price of a seat in the House of Lords is £400,000 ($500K), but you can get other political favours much cheaper.
  - shapefrog 4y ago
    > The price of a seat in the House of Lords is £400,000 The price to buy a seat from Boris was nearly an order of magnitude cheaper - but he also sold a lot of seats that he can not fulfill.
shapefrog 4y ago
> I want certain favours from the current UK government, I can give a friend of mine an interest-free loan for him to donate significant sums of money to the current ruling party (Tories). You get away with this as long as there is no written record Having seen this in action (UK, Tory government) ... you are taking too many steps and too much complication. You donate publicly, on the register, to the party, candidates, (leadership candidates) etc. They give you things you ask for. The entire "scheme" is far more transparent than you think. It is also much cheaper than you think. The expensive path is to literally hire a sitting member of parliament to your company and then you also get things you ask for. The system works(/worked) extremely well because the people involved had some class and would only ask and take within reason. If you know, you know.
postingawayonhn 4y ago
> You get away with this as long as there is no written record and just a discussion on the golf club. That's not legal then. There's just a lack of evidence to bring a successful prosecution.

smcl 4y ago

I think that would still be illegal but just very hard to prove and prosecute.

deleted 4y ago
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oxfordmale 4y ago
Illegal means it is beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a violation of the law. People do not get thrown in jail for donating money to political parties. Suggesting ideas to political parties is also not illegal. It is only illegal if the money is donated for the sole purpose of influencing a particular decision.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

rob74 4y ago

Those aren't legal either, unless you go by the motto "you are only guilty if you get caught"...

oxfordmale 4y ago
* A friend asks me to borrow $400K. He is a good friend, and I am happy to help him out * A few months later, he decides to donate $200K to a political party that happens to be in power at the time * The government makes certain decisions that appear to be in my favour. I discussed that certain changes would be helpful but never asked for them directly. Basically, it is a gentleman's agreement where no party involved explicitly asked for anything. Illegal in the spirit of the law, yes, provable in court beyond a reasonable doubt, no. As another poster highlighted, you don't even need to use a friend in the UK, you can donate directly. The price of a seat in the House of Lords is £400,000 ($500K), but you can get other political favours much cheaper.
- shapefrog 4y ago
  > The price of a seat in the House of Lords is £400,000 The price to buy a seat from Boris was nearly an order of magnitude cheaper - but he also sold a lot of seats that he can not fulfill.

shapefrog 4y ago

> I want certain favours from the current UK government, I can give a friend of mine an interest-free loan for him to donate significant sums of money to the current ruling party (Tories). You get away with this as long as there is no written record Having seen this in action (UK, Tory government) ... you are taking too many steps and too much complication. You donate publicly, on the register, to the party, candidates, (leadership candidates) etc. They give you things you ask for. The entire "scheme" is far more transparent than you think. It is also much cheaper than you think. The expensive path is to literally hire a sitting member of parliament to your company and then you also get things you ask for. The system works(/worked) extremely well because the people involved had some class and would only ask and take within reason. If you know, you know.

postingawayonhn 4y ago

> You get away with this as long as there is no written record and just a discussion on the golf club. That's not legal then. There's just a lack of evidence to bring a successful prosecution.