cricketman

Ah, so a Brit is 2.5 times more likely than a Spaniard to resort to bribery to get their public services

And an American is 3.5 times more likely

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23231318

Of course the study is a load of rubbish because people on here know better. Right?

mikelincs

In Spain it isn't called bribery, just doing business..

Dick Dasterdly

Exactly.

Fredbargate

I see Gib does not get a mention.

Fred now sitting on his laurels

stuboy

How on earth do they collect the data?

amideislas

I don't know if these stats are true or not, but it reminds me of an American I met here some years ago. He was a specialist in Marine communications - a somewhat in-demand guy who works on marine radios, telephone, radars, TV and internet systems for Yachts and commercial marine vessels.

Anyway, most of his clients were in the Med, and so he wanted to be based in Palma (big yacht business here). But obtaining Spanish residency (according to him) was a nightmare (not an EU citizen) - not at all easy like us Brits.

Anyway I remember him saying something about ending up having to pay a lot of money to this or that person, and somehow it all magically happened and he became a legal resident overnight, despite virtually everyone telling him it's very complex and difficult, if even possible at all.

So, yes, Americans probably are more likely to bribe someone to get "public services" (which I interpret to mean "residency"). Just because it's a lot more difficult to for them to get residency in the first place.

But Brits? Get your residency and you get social services. Not too challenging, really. What would be the point of bribing anyone?

Dick Dasterdly

"Lack of bribery in Spain"

So is it reasonable to assume that this is the most ludicrous topic title in the history of BE ?

cricketman

So you didnt look at the link then?

A reputable authority has said that bribery in Spain is much less frequent than in other countries such as the UK and US

This goes against what people on here like to spout. The question is, is the study simply wrong or are people on here making the wrong assumptions based on an unfounded stereotype?

Personally I have never come across bribery to get public services either in the UK or Spain, and I know of no incidences of it happening

rugbymatt

I reckon you have been waiting since 2009 for this thread to come up haven't you?

cricketman

Not at all

Spain has a huge problem of political corruption, without a doubt

But as far as I can see, and as this study shows, bribery and corruption is not an aspect of everyday life in Spain, despite what many people on this site assume

me me

I agree very good Mike. That tickled my funnybone.

It is just a question of viewpoint, bribery/doing business means the same thing to a lot of people.

I know for a fact the a lot of business people have had to pay "bungs" to get their rights, and if they did not pay, delays would ensue to the detriment of their livelihood.

me me

The title of this thread is rather amusing.

"Lack of bribery in Spain".

Lack of means a shortage, ie lack of water in the Sahara.

Lack of affordable housing in London.

It gives the notion that there should be more of whatever to counteract the "lack of".

So according to your thread title, you are really saying that there should be more bribery in Spain.

Let´s just hope that your SIL does not get wind of this.

agoreira

I think they asked the wrong people, they must have asked the politicos, the alcaldes etc. These Brit politicians/councillors must be extremely clever at covering their tracks if they are more bent than this lot of crooks.

jimenato

This is correct.

I was thinking this through and coming to the conclusion that, like Cman I haven't personally come across bribery of any sort in either the UK or Spain.

Then it came to me - yes I have - I've done it myself and I know of others who have. The reason I didn't think of it straight away is because a) I didn't recognise it for what it was and b) it was done on my behalf by someone else. I just paid a contractor to do something and he said that part of the payment would be 'lubricant' - it was just what you have to do to get things done.

If I was asked as part of that survey if I had paid a bribe I would answer no.

I would have been wrong.

Domino

well on another thread I had the gall to suggest that another country in Europe (that I am proscribed from mentioning) had a bribery problem (or was it just because I actually mentioned that other country in a BES thread)

but based on my travels I really think that just about every country has bribery, and has had it for "ever", in one way or another. As to the meaning of a 1% point more or less than another country - well they are all of a muchness really. Sometimes the sums seem ridiculously high, but then in commercial/banking terms are they ?

and once again we are being asked to make comment without the full story, the full data - just someone's interpretation to make their own personal point, based on really small headcount.

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