The furore over allegations of sleaze against the British government, especially over the case of former Tory cabinet minister Owen Paterson, is a warning that must be heeded. It is treated as a truism that Britain is not a corrupt society. But this depends on the definition of corruption. The use of political power to serve private interests is a breach of public trust. In Britain this is often hidden behind a smokescreen of respectability.

One example is the revelation that membership of the House of Lords is more or less automatic for past treasurers of the Conservative Party who have donated £3 million to party funds. But, say defenders of this practice, these donors are wealthy philanthropists, and funding a political party is a public good.