Corruption | itecla's web

English Language IIA

Debate 4: Corruption

Owner:

L-LIIA-G4-1

Members:

ST-LIIA-G4-1
ST-LIIA-G4-2
ST-LIIA-G4-3
ST-LIIA-G4-4
ST-LIIA-G4-5

ST-LIIA-G4-6

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIA-G4-1
DL-LIIA-G4-2

· L-LIIA-G4-1

10w

FORUM debate 4/Corruption
Group Name:
Group members: ST-LIIA-G4-1, ST-LIIA-G4-2, ST-LIIA-G4-3, ST-LIIA-G4-4 & ST-LIIA-G4-5

Discussion Leaders: DL-LIIA-G4-1 & DL-LIIA-G4-2

STEP 1
Individually, write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

· ST-LIIA-G4-2

Hi there!

My name is ST-LIIA-G4-2, I’m 18 and I’m from Alfafar. I’m studying English Studies at Universitat de València. I love reading and travelling. Moreover, I’ll study for a few months a make up course, because it’s one of my passions and I want to learn more about it, and it could be great to work as a make up artist during holidays.

Although, I love English I thought about studying Classical Philology because I really like Mythology, Latin History and I would have liked to live in that era to speak Latin. As a curiosity, one of my favourite quotes is ‘Non scholae, sed vitae discimus’.

These are my four ice-breaking questions:
– What would be your reaction if you saw a celebrity or a historical figure?
– Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
– What was your favourite trip? Why?
– What is your favourite book? Do you think your favourite book has influenced you in some way?

· DL-LIIA-G4-2

Hi everyone, my name is DL-LIIA-G4-2, and along with DL-LIIA-G4-1 I’ll be one of the leaders for this discussion. I am 20 years old, from Nottingham in England, and I usually study Spanish, Italian and Portuguese at the University of Sheffield. I am currently completing a semester studying Spanish here in Valencia and I’m absolutely loving it so far. Before coming to Spain I taught English in Brazil for 5 months. In my spare time I like to play rugby league and I am a huge football fan. It would be great if everyone could introduce themselves to the group so we can get to know you a bit! Has anyone been to England? What is your favourite thing about Valencia? If anyone has any questions for us, feel free to ask!

· DL-LIIA-G4-2

Hi ST-LIIA-G4-2, nice to meet you. I also love reading and travelling! Where is your favourite place you’ve travelled? I want to try and read more Spanish books to help improve my language, and also explore a different style of literature. What book are you reading at the minute? In response to your questions:
– I would try and have a conversation with them, however I think in reality I would be a bit nervous and forget what to say!
– In 5 years time hopefully I will have a stable job, preferably in business, and maybe have a house!
– My favourite trip was when I went to Rio de Janeiro last year. It’s such an amazing, lively city and I would definitely recommend it to anyone!
My favourite book is ‘As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning’ by Laurie Lee. It maybe influenced me in that it made me want to explore Spain, which is what I am doing now! If you haven’t read it I would recommend it- it’s very charming and a lovely book.

· ST-LIIA-G4-3

Hi everyone!

My name is ST-LIIA-G4-3 and I’m from Torrent. I’m 18 and I’m studying English Studies because when I was a child I dreamed of knowing in what language singers were singing on the radio. Even I love that degree I would have liked to study Semitic and Islamic Studies.

I also have always imaginated that one day I would publish one book and what I really enjoy doing is to spend my time reading and watching films and series, because I feel identificated with them; I also love doing any kind of sport even if it’s swimming, dancing or judo.

In response to your questions I’ve decided to choose one of each one:

– In five years I expect to see myself with the degree I’m studying at this moment and studying also a translate master but I think it is a little bit complicated 🙁
I- have been in Enlgand, London specifically and I loved the experience. England has always been a country that I liked to visit and I hoped I could go someday to Yorkshire and Lancaster!

There go my 4 ice-breaking questions.

– What kind of movies do you like and how do you feel identificated with them?
– Have you ever been interested in developing other skills like ‘sign languages’?
– Is there any quote that you have heard and is it important for you?
– If you could live again one moment of your life, what could it be?

· DL-LIIA-G4-1

Hi everyone! I’m DL-LIIA-G4-1, and like DL-LIIA-G4-2 said, I am also one of the discussion leaders for this topic. I am 21 years old and study French and Spanish at the University of Bristol in the South West of England, but I am originally from Norfolk. Before I arrived in Spain, I worked at the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce in Paris for 6 months – so I am really enjoying being a student again, especially here in Valencia! As DL-LIIA-G4-2 said, please come and introduce yourselves, would be good to know a bit more about you all! Further to his questions – have you got any recommendations of places for us to visit in Valencia? And what made you want to study English at university?

· DL-LIIA-G4-1

+ ST-LIIA-G4-3 Hi ST-LIIA-G4-3! Thanks for your post – nice to meet you!

– I love all kinds of movies, it depends on my mood!
– I have thought about doing sign language actually – it might be something I look into doing in the future.
– Unfortunately I don’t really have a specific quote that I have heard of and is important to me – I hear a few every now and again that I think are good and relatable, but I always forget them – haha!
– This last question is a very tricky one! I have had a few moments in my life that I would love to relive, but one of them would have to be going to the Great Barrier Reef! I know that I can go again, but I feel like the Reef is becoming more and more damaged, and probably won’t look the same/ be as incredible as when I saw it about 10 years ago.

· DL-LIIA-G4-1

+ ST-LIIA-G4-2 Hi ST-LIIA-G4-2! Thanks for your questions!

– I have actually met a couple of celebrities in my life (not really really famous ones) and I was an absolute idiot in front of them, haha!
– In 5 years time, I hope that I am either still travelling around the world, or have travelled a lot and am settled in a job that I love.
– My favourite trip had to be when I went to Australia (as I mentioned in my post to ST-LIIA-G4-3) – the Barrier Reef was just incredible!
– I really enjoyed a book called Gone Girl (which is now a film) – but I don’t think it has influenced me in any way! It was just an enjoyable read.

· DL-LIIA-G4-1

Not to bombard the group with lots of posts – but I thought that maybe whilst we are all introducing ourselves, we could maybe start to discuss the topic of corruption?

I propose that we start having a look at the topic through discussing the following article: independent.co.uk – Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

It is written in The Independent, a very well known newspaper in the UK, and refers to a brand new tv show on the BBC in the UK, called McMafia which is all about corruption (I highly recommend for you to watch it, it’s brilliant!)

This article explains that the tv show is actually ‘very close to the truth’, and goes on to discuss current corruption in the UK – including the amount of illegal money laundered every year.

Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

independent.co.uk

· DL-LIIA-G4-1

I thought we could discuss the article over the following questions:
– Does this kind of corruption occur in Spain, that you know of?
– Are there any other types of corruption that are very prevalent in Spain?
– Do you think it is hypocritical for the UK Government to say that they will try to combat this problem of corruption, when often they too are involved in it? (Please explain your answer to this)

If there is anything you do not understand in the article, or that you need explained please let me know! Also, if you have anything else that you would like to discuss regarding this article, please put those questions forward also.

· ST-LIIA-G4-1

Hi!

I’m ST-LIIA-G4-1 and I’m 18. I’m from Valencia and I’m currently studying an English Studies degree at Universitat de València. I’ve always been really into everything related to english. Therefore I enjoy listening to music, watching films and reading books in english. A long time ago I realised I wanted to be an english teacher because I like making people understand everything about this language.

Besides this, I’m a really outgoing, active and sporty person, so I love going to the gym and doing sports. I also like meeting my friends and getting to know new people, something that is quite accessible at our university.

Replying to DL-LIIA-G4-2’s question I have actually been to some places in England such as Canterbury, Westgate at sea and London and I have to say that I totally loved it!

Responding to DL-LIIA-G4-1’s question I would recommend you to get up very early one day and go to the beach, the views are totally worth the effort!

So, here are my four ice-breaking questions :

-What is your free time activity you enjoy the most doing?

-If you could only listen one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

-What is the most daring thing you’ve done? Do you like to feel the adrenaline?

-Do you have an idol or someone who inspires you somehow?

PD: sorry for posting late 🙁

· DL-LIIA-G4-1

+ ST-LIIA-G4-1

Hi ST-LIIA-G4-1! Thanks for your post. To answer your questions:

– My free time activity that I enjoy the most is going out for dinner or drinks with my friends (which I seem to be doing a lot here, haha!)

– Your second question is a tough one! But if I had to choose a song at the moment, it would have to be Turn – The Wombats. But I go through different moods with music all the time!

– I actually haven’t done anything too daring, but I want to do more! I’ve done some really high zip wires, and loved the adrenaline! But I really want to go sky diving.

– I don’t really have one person that inspires me, I find inspiration from a lot of people on a daily basis, after seeing news articles and posts on social media etc.

· DL-LIIA-G4-1

I hope everyone really enjoyed Fallas!! I had a very crazy time, and loved every second of it. But now we’re all back to university, shall we have a look at the article I posted and discuss the themes within it?

· ST-LIIA-G4-3

+ DL-LIIA-G4-1

Before answering the questions you wrote I would like you to know that economy is a hard subject from my point of view and I have never understood how it works.

1. Does this kind of corruption occur in Spain, that you know of?

I haven’t understood the article as well I would but I think that Spain suffers this kind of corruption, maybe not as the same level as UK.

2. Are there any other types of corruption that are very prevalent in Spain?

I completely believe that the worst kind of corruption that Spain has always suffered is political corruption and if we don’t join forces for trying to stop it, we will reach a point of no return.

3. Do you think it is hypocritical for the UK Government to say that they will try to combat this problem of corruption, when often they too are involved in it? (Please explain your answer to this).

I think that if the Government or any other people are involved in it, even if it is not a constant activity, it is completely hypocritical behaviour because they are trying to let people think they agree with stopping corruption while some of them are in the same business; it’s a shame that these kind of people are the political representative, no matter which country is.

· ST-LIIA-G4-1

+ DL-LIIA-G4-1 As an answer to your questions I would like to say the following :

1. Does this kind of corruption occur in Spain, that you know of?

In Spain it exists this kind of corruption, like in most of the countries, but it isn’t as highlighted as in other places such as China or Italy.

2. Are there any other types of corruption that are very prevalent in Spain?

Yes, there are several types of corruption in Spain. Some examples are : corruption in sports, politics or studies.

3. Do you think it is hypocritical for the UK Government to say that they will try to combat this problem of corruption, when often they too are involved in it? (Please explain your answer to this).

Yes, I think it is quite hypocritical that they stand they will fight for corruption while they are corrupted themselves. It also happens in Spain and a lot of countries all over the world

ST-LIIA-G4-6

Hi,

I agree with ST-LIIA-G4-1, because there are some types of corruption in Spain but I am not quite sure about if this type of corruption is the most important. Nowadays, corruption is a word that you can hear in Spain so much. For example, political, sports and studies corruption.

I do not think that only UK Goverment is hypocritical, every government is hypocritical because they only think about their profits.

Bearing this in mind, why don’t we talk about corruption in sports which we have found some interesting articles?

English Language IIB

Debate 4: Corruption

Owner:

L-LIIB-G4-1

Members:

ST-LIIB-G4-1
ST-LIIB-G4-2

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIB-G4-1
DL-LIIB-G4-2

· L-LIIB-G4-1

FORUM debate 4/Corruption
Group Name:
Group members:
Discussion leaders: DL-LIIB-G4-1 & DL-LIIB-G4-2
STEP 1
Individually, write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

· DL-LIIB-G4-1

Hi everyone! I’m DL-LIIB-G4-1, and along with DL-LIIB-G4-2, I am one of the discussion leaders for this topic. I am 21 years old and study French and Spanish at the University of Bristol in the South West of England, but I am originally from Norfolk. Before I arrived in Spain, I worked at the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce in Paris for 6 months – so I am really enjoying being a student again, especially here in Valencia! As DL-LIIB-G4-2 said, please come and introduce yourselves, would be good to know a bit more about you all! Have you got any recommendations of places for us to visit in Valencia? And what made you want to study English at university?

· DL-LIIB-G4-1

Hi everyone, I’m looking forward to you all introducing yourselves and answering our questions! I just thought I would propose an article that we could all read and discuss, so when that we can start discussing this topic!

The article I think we should talk about is the following: independent.co.uk – Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

This article explains that the tv show is actually ‘very close to the truth’, and goes on to discuss current corruption in the UK – including the amount of illegal money laundered every year.

Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

independent.co.uk

· DL-LIIB-G4-1

· ST-LIIB-G4-1

Hello everyone!
My name is ST-LIIB-G4-1. I’m an 18 old student at the University of Valencia. I have chosen this degree because I think it is an important way to help either children to learn the idiom or teens to help them in high school or university. In my free time, I like watching and playing different sports, enjoying with good novels or going to the cinema.

In this article, I can observe that UK and Spain have some similarities in terms of corruption. For start, I find that security is present in this aspect for discover those people who are committing illegalities in their wealth. Here in Spain, it is very famous the presence of the Tax Agency in investigations of some famous people.
As the British security minister claims, this kind of corruption also occurs in Spain when people who belong to the super upper-class, such as politicians or famous people from the world of football or cinema, earn an amount of their wages from nowhere. In this money laundering, the Tax Agency is responsible for finding this illegal activity that represent one of the most common illegal felonies in all countries.
Nevertheless, I recognise it is not fair for citizens that politicians stand up for corruption and go after those who are committing this crime but at the end the own corruption is still present in their parties. I reckon it is a hypocritical fact that politicians defend justice among citizens, but they don’t report it when some members of the same political party commit this “crime”.

In most countries it is common for many governments to get involved in corruption problems and illegal issues. When people talk about corruption it is indicative of the act of gaining power for personal gain by governments officials.
As I see it, corruption is not a new phenomenon in some of the European countries. I think it is a very embarrassing and shameful situation when so many countries are suffering from economic or poverty problems. Besides, it is interesting the extent to which this affects us all and has become a common issue within our society, where the rich and powerful play with the hopes and dreams of a lot of inhabitants.
A major drawback is that with the ever-growing presence of corruption in today’s society (political scandals, bribes, extortion) we tend to identify the main responsible of this. From my point of view, I believe it is our duty to choose those politicians wisely who will represent us in Parliament, as they will be there to serve us with honesty and dignity.
Secondly, I also think that there are those who have political or material power in this world who are genuinely trying to work hard and trying to promote the common interests of the society. However, the desire for power goes beyond all limits imaginable in this day and age. I strongly believe that most politicians start out with the best intentions to serve their constituents with integrity and honesty but with power comes greed and an uncontrollable desire for personal gains.
I personally think, in today’s society we need to find some kind of solutions to eradicate this blot on modern society and thereby take important steps to get it under control.

· ST-LIIB-G4-2

Hello everyone, my name is ST-LIIB-G4-2, I am 18 years old and I live in Gandia, and I am studying English studies at the University of Valencia.
I wanted to talk about a topic that is quite current today as is corruption.
To begin with, I would like to say that I am totally against it because what it does is cause problems to everyone, especially those who have nothing to do with it and suffer it.
Also say that this issue although in Spain is very topical in cases such as Cristina Cifuentes, which falsified a master and notes of his career, Urdangarin and the daughter of the king or many other cases, but not only happens in Spain but throughout the world, whether with money, property or other material goods that may favor the other person.
In any case, corruption is a case that must be eradicated since it causes many people who do not participate in it to pay for it.

English Language II E

Debate 10: Corruption

Owner:

L-LIIEG.9-G10-1

Members (G.9):

ST-LIIEG.9-G10-1
ST-LIIEG.9-G10-2
ST-LIIEG.9-G10-3
ST-LIIEG.9-G10-4

Discussion Leader:

DL-LIIEG.9-G10-1
DL-LIIEG.9-G10-2

· L-LIIEG.9-G10-1

FORUM debate 10/Corruption
Group Name: Illegal

Discussion Leader(s): DL-LIIEG.9-G10-2 & DL-LIIEG.9-G10-1

Group members: (G.9)
ST-LIIEG.9-G10-1
ST-LIIEG.9-G10-2
ST-LIIEG.9-G10-3
ST-LIIEG.9-G10-4

STEP 1: Breaking the Ice:
– Write and post an introductory paragraph together with four ice-breaking questions. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by your group mates and the discussion leader(s).

STEP 2: Initiating the Discussion:
– With the guidance of the discussion leader(s) assigned to your group, write 4 or 5 posts of about 200 words each during this month (try to write at least one post a week).

· DL-LIIEG.9-G10-1

Hi everyone, my name is DL-LIIEG.9-G10-1, and along with DL-LIIEG.9-G10-2 I’ll be one of the leaders for this discussion. I am 20 years old, from Nottingham in England, and I usually study Spanish, Italian and Portuguese at the University of Sheffield. I am currently completing a semester studying Spanish here in Valencia and I’m absolutely loving it so far. Before coming to Spain I taught English in Brazil for 5 months. In my spare time I like to play rugby league and I am a huge football fan. It would be great if everyone could introduce themselves to the group so we can get to know you a bit! Has anyone been to England? What is your favourite thing about Valencia? If anyone has any questions for us, feel free to ask!

· DL-LIIEG.9-G10-2

Hi everyone! I’m Izzy, and like DL-LIIEG.9-G10-1 said, I am also one of the discussion leaders for this topic. I am 21 years old and study French and Spanish at the University of Bristol in the South West of England, but I am originally from Norfolk. Before I arrived in Spain, I worked at the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce in Paris for 6 months – so I am really enjoying being a student again, especially here in Valencia! As DL-LIIEG.9-G10-1 said, please come and introduce yourselves, would be good to know a bit more about you all! Further to his questions – have you got any recommendations of places for us to visit in Valencia? And what made you want to study English at university?

· DL-LIIEG.9-G10-2

The article I think we should talk about is the following: independent.co.uk – Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

This article explains that the tv show is actually ‘very close to the truth’, and goes on to discuss current corruption in the UK – including the amount of illegal money laundered every year.

Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

independent.co.uk

· DL-LIIEG.9-G10-2

English Language IV

Debate 4: Corruption

Owner:

L-LIV-G4-1
L-LIV-G4-2

Members:

ST-LIV-G4-1
ST-LIV-G4-2
ST-LIV-G4-3
ST-LIV-G4-4
ST-LIV-G4-5
ST-LIV-G4-6
ST-LIV-G4-7

Discussion Leader:

DL-LIV-G4-1
DL-LIV-G4-2

· L-LIV-G4-1

Forum debate 4/Corruption

Discussion Leader(s): DL-LIV-G4-1 & DL-LIV-G4-2

Group members:
ST-LIV-G4-1
ST-LIV-G4-2
ST-LIV-G4-3
ST-LIV-G4-4
ST-LIV-G4-5
ST-LIV-G4-6

· DL-LIV-G4-2

Hi everyone, my name is DL-LIV-G4-2, and along with DL-LIV-G4-1 I’ll be one of the leaders for this discussion. I am 20 years old, from Nottingham in England, and I usually study Spanish, Italian and Portuguese at the University of Sheffield. I am currently completing a semester studying Spanish here in Valencia and I’m absolutely loving it so far. Before coming to Spain I taught English in Brazil for 5 months. In my spare time I like to play rugby league and I am a huge football fan. It would be great if everyone could introduce themselves to the group so we can get to know you a bit! Has anyone been to England? What is your favourite thing about Valencia? If anyone has any questions for us, feel free to ask!

· DL-LIV-G4-1

Hi everyone! I’m DL-LIV-G4-1, and like DL-LIV-G4-2 said, I am also one of the discussion leaders for this topic. I am 21 years old and study French and Spanish at the University of Bristol in the South West of England, but I am originally from Norfolk. Before I arrived in Spain, I worked at the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce in Paris for 6 months – so I am really enjoying being a student again, especially here in Valencia! As DL-LIV-G4-2 said, please come and introduce yourselves, would be good to know a bit more about you all! Further to his questions – have you got any recommendations of places for us to visit in Valencia? And what made you want to study English at university?

· L-LIV-G4-2

+ L-LIV-G4-1
Discussion leaders: DL-LIV-G4-2 & DL-LIV-G4-1

Group members:
ST-LIV-G4-1
ST-LIV-G4-2
ST-LIV-G4-4
ST-LIV-G4-5
ST-LIV-G4-7

· DL-LIV-G4-1

The article I think we should talk about is the following: independent.co.uk – Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

This article explains that the tv show is actually ‘very close to the truth’, and goes on to discuss current corruption in the UK – including the amount of illegal money laundered every year.

Oligarchs face being forced to explain source of their wealth

independent.co.uk

· DL-LIV-G4-1

· ST-LIV-G4-1

Hello ladies,

My name is ST-LIV-G4-1 and I’m a nineteen-year-old girl juggling Translation Studies at University with a part-time job. I absolutely love learning new languages and travelling the world to discover new cultures. I’ve been several times to England (I actually worked there last summer), and I really like the country and the culture, although I’m not a big fan of the rain and gloomy weather.
I’d like to find a good job as a language teacher in the future, since that is the reason why I’m studying English and French at uni.

Regarding the article + DL-LIV-G4-1 shared, it makes mention of corruption related to mafia, and I particularly liked when it says,“beneath the gloss there is real nastiness”, which really makes me think of the book (and the film) The Godfather or the movie Goodfellas. In both of them, we can clearly see the luxurious life of mobsters and how governments are involved in corruption so as to get money. If I’m honest, this situation doesn’t really surprise me, since corruption has always existed, and has simply evolved and come to life recently.

When it comes to the types of corruption, there is no doubt that London has now become the playground for Russian gansgters and organized crime. I’m certain this also exists in Spain, although here political corruption is very important and common.

To what extent do you think corruption affects us as individuals? What do you believe we all should do to finish with Spain’s never-ending corruption problem?

· ST-LIV-G4-4

Hi, my name is ST-LIV-G4-4 and I’m 20. I’m studying Translation at UV but I’m from a little village, called Benilloba, which is about 100km away from Valencia. I like to discover new traditions while learning languages and I think that the more you travel, the more you learn. I’ve been to England many times, mostly to London, but I visited other cities like Oxford, Bristol or Bath, too. Now I am looking forward to spend next year in Wales, at Cardiff’s University. I love England and their people and culture, but I agree with ST-LIV-G4-1 that rainy weather is not very pleasant.

Asking one of the questions that DL-LIV-G4-1 proposed, I think that in Spain do exists this kind of corruption, and, what is more, it is one of the most common types. There are a lot of examples of ex-presidents or ex-ministers who are discovered,years after finishing their jobs, of having laundered huge amounts of money. And not just people related with politics, but also famous actors or important soccer players. In general, some of this corrupt people are prosecuted but very few go to jail. Instead, they pay what they have robbed or the sentece that the judge has passed and that’s all.

Making reference of what ST-LIV-G4-1 said, in my opinion, corruption affects us as individuals in many ways, both positive and negative. On the one hand, watching the news or reading newspapers makes us realise that being in a priviledged position earning a lot of money does not mean being a good person and maybe that could encourage us to avoid this kind of behaviour in our daily life. On the other hand, corruption cases diminish a lot credibility to the current leaders of our countries and make that a lot of people don’t want to vote them during presidential elections. And what is the solution to this problem? First of all, they have to be honest. Then, we will decide if we believe what they say or not.

· ST-LIV-G4-2

Hello everyone! I’m ST-LIV-G4-2 and I’m 19 years old. I study English and German Translation at the University of Valencia. I have visited England a few times. The first time I went to England was when I was 12 years old and I have been in love with the country ever since. I think the reason I decided to study languages is that I realised I could help people communicate. Also, I believe that languages are the best way to get to know different cultures and ways of living and that’s why I love them.

With regard to the comments you all made about corruption, I would like to say that, as ST-LIV-G4-1 and ST-LIV-G4-4 said, corruption in Spain is a very current and usual topic. However, we are not the only country suffering from it. Every day, a new case of corruption appears in different countries all over the world. For example, a few weeks ago, a piece of news touched all of our hearts when we heard that a young reporter who had been investigating mafia networks in Slovakia was killed along with his fiancée. Thousands of citizens have marched these last few days along the streets of Bratislava (Slovakia) against corruption, hoping that someday, this will be nothing but a sour memory. And all of this makes me wonder: how far are we willing to take this? Is it really acceptable to kill a young couple in order to cover mafia businesses?

In Spain, as far as it is known, there has not been, a murder due to corruption. However, we have been suffering the consequences of having corrupted political parties for many years. Between the years 2015-2016, almost 1,500 people faced trial for corruption. Many political figures ended behind bars. Despite this, the problem of corruption is far from being solved and there is still a long process ahead.

Articles:
The financial times, March 2018: Slovakia faces up to deep-rooted corruption problems.
https://www.ft.com/content/da1e61d8-1ec9-11e8-a895-1ba1f72c2c11
Politico, May 2017: Spain’s never-ending corruption problem.
politico.eu – Spain’s never-ending corruption problem – POLITICO
Spain’s never-ending corruption problem – POLITICO

politico.eu

· ST-LIV-G4-7

Hello everyone! I shortly want to introduce myself: I´m ST-LIV-G4-7, 20 years old and an Erasmus student. My home country is Italy but I´m studying Italian literature and linguistics and Spanish at the niversity of Munich. I haven´t been to England before but it´s definitely on my Bucket list, like many other countries. I´m a really open-minded person and I like to meet new people and get to know them and their ways of seeing the world. Therefore I think being able to speak some languages is really helpful to understand the mindset of others.
Unfortunately I can´t say anything about the corruption in Spain but I can tell you something about the point of view of italian people with respect to this issue in Italy.
According to TI`s latest Global Corruption Barometer Report, less than 30 percent of Italy´s population believes in the government is effective in fighting corruption. In the same survey, Italians rated their Parliament and political parties as „very corrupt“.
One sentence of the article, that DL-LIV-G4-1 shared, that really made me think was the following: “We are going to go after these iconic individuals, whether they are known about in t in their local community or known about internationally.” We can see that people want to do something against the corrupt iconic individuals for example politicians., but why is it than possible that for example Berlusconi is still active in politics? Why isn´t he in jail? How is it possible that after all of the things that have happened in the past the people still vote for him, if so many are against corruption? I think that this is not just a problem in Italy but in many other countries that people talk more about acting against corruption or criminal actions and in the end just few people are actually interventing. What do you think about it?

· ST-LIV-G4-1

Good morning, everyone. I’ve recently read a newspaper article [Huffingtonpost, 12/12/2017: To End Corruption, We Must Unite] which really caught my attention, because it said that “Corruption costs us all, at least, US$ 2.6 trillion or 5% of the world’s GDP.” I personally can’t believe it and I find it very disheartening. Reading this piece of news really made me feel we need to do something now to battle corruption, so that we can allocate all that money to end up with poverty or illiteracy, for example. The article mentioned 2 instruments to fight corruption. One of them is the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which gathers representatives of countries, academia, and civil society to discuss anti-corruption methods. The other is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whose goals 16 and 17 recognise that battling corruption will mean improving education and delivering economic growth, to name a few. Do you believe these instruments can help or do you think they are not enough to solve this problem?

I’ve also had a look at an article [Fair observer, OCTOBER 16, 2013: Tackling Corruption: The Solution is?] giving strategies to reduce corruption. It says that corruption is an economic crime and responds to the following formula: Corruption equals monopoly plus discretion minus accountability. Therefore, we need to reduce monopoly and enhance competition, limit official discretion, and clarify the rules of the game. In theory, this idea seems easy and doable. However, in practice, I’m doubtful, as I cannot believe the solution for corruption is following a mathematical rule. Would you agree with me?

· ST-LIV-G4-4

Hello! Regarding to the topic ST-LIV-G4-2 was talking about, I agree with her that corruption is reaching dangerous levels, to the point to endanger people’s life and it seems that nobody cares about that. Furthermore, from my point of view, laws don’t apply equally to everyone in all countries. For example, last week I was reading an interesting article about an Iranian woman who took off obligatory hijab, in Tehran Street, and was sentenced to two years in prison, because the prosecutor said that she did it to ‘encourage corruption’. After reading that, I wonder, if this women were a wealthy one, would the prosecutor pass the same sentence or it would change?

On the other hand, asking one of the questions ST-LIV-G4-1 proposed, I believe that the two instruments mentioned are very useful to fight corruption. Firstly, in my opinion, the UNCAC plays a crucial role celebrating meetings and conferences to discuss problems caused by corruption. Secondly, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its aim to end up with corruption to improve things that concern everyone, such as education or transparency and accountability in public affairs, is impressive and necessary. Nevertheless, I also think that there is a long way to go to achieve all these goals and, as the article said, ‘to end corruption, we must unite’.

Article:

Iranian woman who removed headscarf jailed for two years
theguardian.com – Iranian woman who removed headscarf jailed for two years | World news | The Guardian

Iranian woman who removed headscarf jailed for two years | World news | The Guardian

theguardian.com

· ST-LIV-G4-2

Good morning! With regard to what ST-LIV-G4-1 said, I have to say that I agree with her. Corruption is certainly not a mathematical formula nor an exact science. Therefore, applying formulas would not be the best way to end corruption as it does not work the same way in every country. Moreover, as ST-LIV-G4-4 mentioned, corruption does not affect every citizen the same way either. Poor people suffer more the consequences of corruption than wealthy people as the former have more to lose than the latter. However, it is also true that in the end, it affects all of us one way or another.

In addition, I found an article which title was: ‘’removing corruption using more of it.’’ It is about corruption in Pakistan and had some interesting facts about their economic situation due to this issue: “Pakistan has a high economic deficit which has caused 35 percent of the people to live below the poverty line, around 22.4 million children are out of school, and 45 percent are stunted.’’ It also talks about leaders in Pakistan using corruption to cover corruption. Therefore, the question here is: would corruption be the solution to end corruption? Would this help people in Pakistan or would this help people all around the world? It sounds like a joke but, could it be an option? Perhaps we want to end corruption so desperately that we would be willing to use it in order to bring it to an end.

Article:

The Nation, March 2018: Removing corruption using more of it.

https://nation.com.pk/19-Mar-2018/removing-corruption-using-more-of-it

· DL-LIV-G4-1

Hello all!! I hope you all had an amazing Fallas! I had such a great time – what a crazy festival!

I have just read through all of your posts and have some comments to make.

ST-LIV-G4-1, Thank you so much for your comments, they are so insightful, I particularly liked your contrast to the Godfather and Goodfellas! I really agree with you, especially with regards to governments; we think we know what is going on, but really there is underlying corruption in a lot of countries, including the UK! In response to your questions, I think that corruption affects us on a daily basis, but we are not aware of it. I can only really speak for the UK, but most governmental corruption in the UK concerns UK tax payer’s money. So while we are not aware necessarily of exactly what is going on, the money that we pay towards the state for healthcare, education etc, often ends up in the pockets of rich government ministers. With regards to ending corruption, I don’t think we can ever completely be rid of corruption. There are, however, ways of ensuring more transparency in government, with reforms that would enforce stricter regulations on members of parliament.

ST-LIV-G4-4 thank you so much for your comments! That is such an interesting way of looking at how corruption affects us.

ST-LIV-G4-2, what a great discussion point – what does everyone think of the case of corruption in Slovakia? Were you already aware of it before ST-LIV-G4-2 posted about it?

ST-LIV-G4-7 that’s such an interesting point about Italy. Could you maybe share an article with the group about current corruption in Italian politics that we could all have a look at and discuss?

ST-LIV-G4-1, I actually also read that Huffington Post article. It was very interesting! I was very shocked at the amount of money that corruption is costing us. However, ST-LIV-G4-4 I do have a question for you – do you really think that conventions such as the UN Convention Against Corruption really do much to help? Despite their existence, corruption still prevails, so I personally think a huge umbrella organisation like this cannot do much to combat corruption. It’s all a game of power – and when those in power are involved in corruption, a lot of people will be reluctant to do anything to contradict them.

ST-LIV-G4-2, your points about the article “Removing corruption using more of it”, are very interesting and insightful. But do you really think that ending corruption with corruption would end corruption once and for all? Or would it not just simply put us in a vicious cycle (one which I think is already occurring).

· ST-LIV-G4-7

Hello everybody.

Today I was looking for some articles about corruption in Italy when I came across a very interesting one: export.gov – Italy – 9-Corruption |
There is one sentence in the first paragraph that made me speechless “Corruption and organized crime, and their perception, are significant impediments to investment and economic growth in parts of Italy and cost the country an estimated €60 billion annually in wasted public resources.” – That’s almost 9 times what you would need to solve hunger problems around the world.
An annual Corruption Perception Index is published by Transparency International. This index measures the perceived level of public-sector corruption in 176 countries around the world. Many people are like me and are unaware of how big the extent of the corruption is. Fortunately we have the possibility of access to “The Global Integrity Report” which is an essential guide to anti-corruption institutions and mechanisms around the world, intended to help policymakers, advocates, journalists and citizens identify and anticipate the areas where corruption is more likely to occur within the public sector. The Report evaluates both anti-corruption legal frameworks and the practical implementation and enforcement of those frameworks, and takes a close look at whether citizen can effectively access and use anti-corruption safeguards.
Do you guys think that this would contribute to the enlightenment and that we can stop corruption with websites like these?

Italy – 9-Corruption |

export.gov

· ST-LIV-G4-1

Good afternoon. First of all, thank you + DL-LIV-G4-1 for your feedback and taking time to read our posts. Regarding the questions + ST-LIV-G4-7 made about the website “The Global Integrity Report”, I’m not entirely sure whether this kind of sites are contributing to battle corruptions or not. I believe that in theory there are very helpful, but I’m practice they fail to do this, since we all already know corruption is still an international problem. Which leads me to the next point. Over the last week, we have shared various pieces of news regarding corruption in different countries, and we all agree that this is a global issue that should be stopped as soon as possible. For this reason, and taking into account that the aim of the forum thread is to come up with a suitable solution, I think it is time to start discussing effective ways of fighting corruption. Maybe we could invent a mobile application, or something like that, which can be used by individuals. What are your thoughts on this? Can you think of something useful to end up with corruption or, at least, to reduce it?

· DL-LIV-G4-1

+ ST-LIV-G4-7 I really enjoyed reading that article – I didn’t really know much about Italian corruption before, so thank you! I found it equally as shocking; it is so incredibly crazy to think what could be done with this money, to prevent or decrease other problems that are happening around the world, such as world hunger that you mentioned.

+ ST-LIV-G4-1 thank you so much for your post! I also agree that we should move the discussion to ways we could combat corruption. Your idea on a mobile application is very interesting – but how would it work exactly?

What other ideas do the rest of you have? I honestly think that the best way to combat corruption is more governmental transparency. but does anyone have any ideas on how to achieve this?

· ST-LIV-G4-4

Hello! Asking the question that DL-LIV-G4-1 made, I agree that the UNCAC could be a group of corrupts that want to control people’s opinions but,in my opinion,it is better than nothing. In addition, I think that if they are an international organisation, they should have a deontological code or something like that which regulates their aims and actions. On the other hand, I’ve recently read an interesting piece of news related with this topic. It shows the Transparency International index from the least corrupt countries to the most and relates that with the rising of populist politicians.

With regard to what ST-LIV-G4-1 has said, it is true that we have been beating around the bush a bit and now it’s time to focus on finding a proper solution to the corruption’s problem. I think that the application is a great idea to fight against corrupts. It could register all the phone operations made by the politicians, related with their jobs, and check if they do some strange movement, such as paying with public credit cards or spending a huge amount of money from public trust in personal issues. Obviously,respecting their privacy. So, what do you think? Would you do any improvements or changes in this app? Or have you got any other ideas to combat corruption?

theguardian.com – Global public sector corruption fuels rise of populist politicians, report says | Global development | The Guardian

Global public sector corruption fuels rise of populist politicians, report says | Global development | The Guardian

theguardian.com

· ST-LIV-G4-2

Good afternoon! After reading all your ideas I have come to the conclusion that, even though it may seem difficult, there is a way to end corruption. We just need to make an effort and work hard in order to achieve it.

Firstly, ST-LIV-G4-1’s idea could be an option, an App that identifies any type of corruption. However, I have some problems with this: how could we make sure that politicians download this App? We would have to force them to install it and having it on their phones would mean they could hack their personal data to hide corruption. Despite this, if these matters were solved, an App would be a great way to end corruption.

Secondly, as DL-LIV-G4-1 said, what we need is governmental transparency. To achieve this I think there should be a public web page which shows the transactions and movements of every politician’s bank account. In this way, they could not hack the web page as they would not have the control of it. It may sound extreme, but there is no other way to find out whether a politician is being legal or not. If they behave as real politicians, we would not need to take this drastic measures.

Finally, I would like to know your opinions about all of this. Would an App work? How could we make sure politicians were loyal to it? And what about creating this public web page?
· ST-LIV-G4-7

Good afternoon 🙂
Thank you all for this great ideas.
I completely agree with you guys, there has to be a drastic change in our society and it has to start with governmental transparency as you said + DL-LIV-G4-1.
+ ST-LIV-G4-1 also your idea of an application is not bad and I think, if I´m wrong please don´t hesitate to correct me, that there is a way that we don´t have to force politicians to download the App. Like we all know there are some applications on our phones that we can´t delete from the software. What if every mobile phone company has to put this App on every phone that is produced? In order to supervise not only the small group of politicians but also other people like the oligars mentioned in the first article shared from + DL-LIV-G4-1.

In addition to the app we definitly need to enlighten the society. In order to reach that goal, we can use social media as an assist. Everybody uses it on a daily basis especially the young generation that is, as everybody knows, our future. Some basic informations about corruptions could pop-up on the time lines of every social media plattform (instagram, facebook, snapchat, tumblr..ecc.). The people just have to read it once because our brains memorizes it unknowingly.
What do you guys think of this idea?

· ST-LIV-G4-4

Good morning! I’ve just read your ideas about how to improve our proposals to end up with corruption and they are very interesting. I agree with ST-LIV-G4-2 that it could be a bit difficult to be sure that our politicians download our App against corruption in their smartphones, but, as ST-LIV-G4-7 said, it is also true that there are applications already installed in our smartphones when we acquire them. In order to solve the problem that ST-LIV-G4-2 sets out, I suggest to provide politicians with specific smarthphones, in which the App cannot be deleted.

On the other hand, I believe that ST-LIV-G4-2’s idea about creating a webpage where you can see every transaction or movement that a politician makes could be appealing but, in my opinion, we would be invading people’s privacy ,too, and this is a bit unfair. I think that some people should be in charge of this website, controlling the transactions, but just a few experts, mainly because some of us have no idea of economy, so we will enter this page and won’t know what all the numbers mean.

Coming to an end, in my view, ST-LIV-G4-7’s proposal about advertising corruption through social media is brilliant, because, as she said, we live in a world where almost everyone ,from the smallest to the largest, use technology nowadays and showing information about corruption in this way could help raise awareness.

· ST-LIV-G4-2

Good night! Thank you all for your amazing ideas! They are very impressive. I think we are making great progress here.

To begin with, it is a fact that many people, mostly youngsters, do not know how corruption has affected this country. This is the reason why ST-LIV-G4-7’s idea of calling the attention of young people through social media in order to raise awareness about corruption is fantastic. In this way, we could all be informed about this matter and we could also inform others.

Moreover, it is true that we must respect people’s privacy, therefore I agree with + ST-LIV-G4-4 that my proposal about creating a website may be too invasive. Consequently, the App has to be the best option to end corruption. However, we must put into practice what + ST-LIV-G4-7 said. Every phone given to each politician must have this App installed and it has to be impossible, or at least very difficult, to erase it or hack it.

Finally, after reading every idea and opinion, I would like to ask you: should we choose this App as the final solution? Does any of you have another point of view? What do you think?

· ST-LIV-G4-7

Good afternoon everybody.
Thank you so much for your kind words regarding my ideas.

To answer your question + ST-LIV-G4-2 I think that the App would be a really good start for our society in the war against corruption. We just need to ensure that the phones can´t be hacked or the App can be manipulated from people outside the system.
So in my opinion we had some really good ideas and the app, website and the advertisment of corruption through social media should be our finas solutions to this problem. What does the rest of you think about that?

· ST-LIV-G4-1

Hello everyone.

After having talked about the different types of corruptions and exposed diverse examples from different countries, I believe we have finally reached the end of the debate and we have agreed on a solution for this problem.

The solution we have decided is a mobile App which comes pre-installed in smartphones. Moreover, it must be impossible to hack or be manipulated, so that all information contained in the App is true. To do so, we would provide politicians with specific smartphones, in which the App cannot be deleted. In addition, this App could also be useful for the rest of the population. While people is on social media platforms, some information about corruption could pop up, making it very easy to be informed about this issue worldwide.

Thank you all very much for your comments and thank you DL-LIV-G4-1 for being a great forum leaders and for your feedback.

Universitat de Valencia

English Language IIA

Debate 4: Corruption

English Language IIB

Debate 4: Corruption

English Language II E

Debate 10: Corruption

English Language IV

Debate 4: Corruption

· L-LIV-G4-1

Forum debate 4/Corruption