The Trump Government & William Cobbett’s pre-1832 Old Corruption
Robert Reich who was Labour Secretary in the Obama Administration posted the below on Blue Sky on 9th April 2026
A reminder: The Attorney General of the United States should be the people’s lawyer, not the president’s personal attorney. The Department of Justice should act to protect the public, not the occupant of the Oval Office and his political allies.
As if to underline the point Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is one of the US representatives at talks with Iran on 11th April. Kushner, a businessman, is not elected to any post and is unaccountable. His various titles- currently Peace Envoy- are a result of the patronage of Trump
While the US has a written Constitution and the UK mostly does not have it’s a reminder of the British Government in the days before the 1832 Reform Act
‘Old Corruption’ was the term used by the radical journalist and politician William Cobbett and others to describe Parliaments and politics before the 1832 Reform Act. Here people held positions because of who they knew not because they were competent. Here also were numerous political sinecures. People benefiting from a political office in which they did little or no work.
It’s worth noting that before the 1832 Reform Act started what was a very long process to achieve full adult suffrage (completed in 1928) Britain came very close to revolution in 1831/2
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