FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF TRANSPARENCY REGISTER

Every democracy is eventually hijacked by rabblerousers, pullpeddlers, clans of kleptocrats, bumptious bugaboos, busybodies, butterbabies, nabobs of nepotism, cranks of cronyism, pusillanimous pussyfooters, riffraffs of rascals, socialist sophists, and Machiavellian mafiosi. Democracy tends to kleptocracy. Anarchy should replace democracy.


The Commission and European Parliament's joint Transparency Register (for those engaged in advocacy, interest representation, lobbying etc.) celebrates its first birthday on June 23. The online register offers citizens extensive information on who is seeking to feed and influence European policy-making, and is a smokescreen of Eurokleptocracy.

The permanent political class enriches itself at the expense of the rest of us. Insider trading is illegal, yet it is routine among kleptocrats. Normal individuals cannot get in on IPOs at the asking price, but kleptocrats do so routinely. Kleptocrats also get many hot issues, bypassing all fair procedures of distribution. By funneling hundreds of millions of dollars or euros to supporters, even more campaign donations are ensured. An entire class of investors now makes all of its profits based on influence and access to kleptocrats.

The anniversary coincides with a decision by the Council of Ministers to be represented as well, by sending an observer to the joint secretariat that deals with the day-to-day management of the register.

Kleptocrats have transformed politics to trade. They are traders who use their power, access, and privileged information to generate wealth. And at the same time well-connected financiers and corporate leaders have made a business of politics. They come together to form a kleptocratic caste.

Maros Sefcovic says the new Transparency Register has had a very promising first year. The registration figures speak for themselves – more than 5,150 organisations are now bound by the same code of conduct in their interactions with our institutions, and registrations continue their upward trend.

Kleptocracy has clearly figured out how to extract wealth from the rest of us based solely on their position and proximity to power. If you have a seat at the table, you are in for a feast. If you don't have a seat at the table, you are on the menu. Throw them all out!

The Council's decision to get involved as an observer also sends a message to the public that all three major EU institutions are working together in this important area. Sefcovic would very much welcome the full participation of the Council in the Transparency Register as soon as possible.

Political intelligence consultants are hired guns who dig for closely held information to be used to trade stocks. Many work for hedge funds and securities firms, who just happen to be some of the biggest congressional campaign contributors.

To lay the foundations of a review process next year, and to feed into preparations for the first annual report on how the register is doing, an online public consultation of stakeholders has been launched which will last until 31 August 2012.

The revolving door is the movement of personnel between roles as legislators and regulators and the industries affected by the legislation and regulation and on within lobbying companies. An unhealthy relationship can develop between the private sector and government, based on the granting of reciprocated privileges to the detriment of the nation and can lead to regulatory capture.

When a kleptocrat leaves parliament to become a pullpeddler, he must wait two years before calling on his former colleagues. But, when a kleptocrat calls himself a consultant, a strategic adviser or some other euphemism, the big bucks start rolling in immediately. Plus, there are no pullpeddling disclosures required of these consultants.

The anniversary also marks the formal closure of the Commission's old register of interest representatives, introduced in 2008. Organisations in the old register have gradually transferred to the new one during the 12-month switchover period, while all new registrations have taken place exclusively in the joint Transparency Register.

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Hillary Clinton points out there is an undeniable connection between how a government operates and whether its people flourish. When a government invites its people to participate, when it is open as to how it makes decisions and allocates resources, when it administers justice equally and transparently, and when it takes a firm stance against corruption of all kinds, that government is, in the modern world, far more likely to succeed in designing and implementing effective policies and services. It is also more likely to harness the talents of its own people and to benefit from their ideas and experiences, and it is also more likely to succeed investing its resources where they are most likely to have the best return.

One popular haunt of Eurokleptocrats, especially MEPs, is the Treviso Hotel on Place Stephanie in the expensive and trendy Ixelles area of Brussels. The love hotel bills itself as a venue for couples with room service and discretion assured in glamorous rooms rented out at 100 euros an hour.

Anne De Schepper, the hotel's manager, points out the long lunch break is the preferred time of day for her clientele of Eurokleptocrats to commit adultery, courtesy of pullpeddlers. Eurokleptocrats are 80 per cent of Treviso Hotel's business, most of it paid by pullpeddlers. Unlike the traditional hotel industry, Treviso Hotel has not experienced the economic crisis thanks to Eurokleptocrats and pullpeddlers. Treviso Hotel is busiest at lunch time, followed by early evening in between the end of office hours and the time Eurokleptocrats need to get back to their spouses.

Eurokleptocrats are told to beware the charms of Mata Hari type sirens trading sex for Fourth Reich secrets and business. The European Commission circulates a memorandum warning that middle-aged Eurokleptocrats are particularly susceptible to long legs and blonde hair!

Hillary Clinton is expanding and mobilizing a global consensus in support of greater transparency – a global architecture, if you will, of anticorruption institutions and practices. Along with Brazil, USA launched the Open Government Partnership. It is a network of support for government leaders and citizens working to bring more transparency and accountability to governments.

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