Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
THE Olive Press has recently reported on how dismal many of Spain’s town halls are when it comes to transparency.
And now comes the confirmation that Spain is getting worse when it comes to corruption.
The country has fallen to 34th position in the annual Transparency International poll with just 61 points.
OK, this is a lot better than Sudan on 11 points but way behind New Zealand and Denmark – both with smaller economies than Spain – on 88 points.
There is no acceptable reason for this.
Most authorities here are simply stuck in the past when it comes to openness and talking to the public. They actually like secrecy.
It all, of course, links back to the Franco years. The 37 years of dictatorship may have ended some decades back but some regrettable attitudes linger on.
Too often these seem to include ‘just do what you’re told’ and ‘don’t ask questions’.
They also involve an incredibly slow and faceless justice system.
For a modern democracy with the 14th biggest economy in the world it is simply not good enough.
READ MORE:
- How Spain compares to the rest of the world over fighting corruption
- Mallorca’s most secretive council revealed in transparency survey comparing town halls across Spain
- Shocking results for Rojales in national survey of financial transparency in Spain’s town halls
