As Robert Shrimsley (FT) suggests the corruption wrought on politics by money is becoming ever more serious.... not least of all, because with heightened inequality there are some very rich people who are happy to corrupt democracy to serve their own needs.
As I have said before: the only really dangerous minority are the rich!
A fundamental problem with our various democratic systems is that they are built on the underlying assumption of reasonable men acting reasonably. (I use the masculine deliberately.) Rules exist in part to mark the boundaries of reasonability and in part to restrain the unreasonable men acting unreasonably. But the latter are assumed to be outliers. When they are in the ascendant, as now in various places, the system breaks down. A system built on care, compassion and an ethic of selflessness degenerates quickly into cronyism, corruption and self-dealing.
The bullies don't win in the end, but they cause immense damage and suffering while they have their moment in the spotlight.
