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Popular Culture Review
Office holders became auctioneers, traders, and bargain makers for a variety
of commercial interest groups. Their main goal was to put together coalitions of
bargainers, so that they could emerge as winners in the elections. They also
accepted policies creating government corporations that were used as vehicles
for patronage.
In the 1990s the misuse of office was revealed with national tribunals
focusing upon several scandals. Irish political scientists Neil Collins and Mary
O’Shea documented many of the events and reported an international
“Corruption Perception Index” with Ireland ranking 19th of 20 industrial
countries on popular beliefs regarding the integrity of government. Deep down
leaders must have asked: would this perceived atmosphere of corruption be
exacerbated with the establishment of casinos?24
Casino consultant J.J. Silks agreed with the premise that Irish casinos might
present ideal venues for money laundering and the exchange of money for
political favors. As an advocate of legalized casinos he saw a necessity for new
laws with regulations and controls over the exchanges of funds in casinos.25
As prosperity has replaced poverty, attention has shifted and citizens have
begun to expect that leaders will deliver services that are worth the tax moneys
they are giving the government. The current inquiries are perhaps making the
point clear that corruption is no longer accepted. Leaders are on notice that
corrupt acts may result in exposure and ballot repudiations, or more serious
consequences.
Moreover, Ireland’s participation in the politics of the European Union has
required that political officials spend public funds (especially EU grants)
responsibly. Funds are monitored and audited by persons outside of Irish
government.26 Political leaders are more reluctant today than they were just a
generation ago to participate in overt payoffs that might otherwise be associated
with the presence of casinos. Casino gambling no longer offers a major threat to
the proper functioning of government.
A Culture of Latent and Manifest Violence
In 1987 I visited the casino in San Sebastian, Spain, located in the Londres
Hotel. The casino was empty except for a few machine players. The manager
indicated that the casino was failing due to a lack of local players, although it
was the only casino in a region (Pais Vasco) of two million. It was in Basque
Country. Basque separatists had initiated an active campaign of bombings,
assassinations, kidnappings and ransom demands, and other guerilla warfare
types of activities. People with wealth carefully hid their resources from public
view lest they become victims. If they had desired to participate in casino
gambling, they ventured to far away places in other countries or to Madrid or
Spanish casinos on the Mediterranean coast. The local casino was to be
avoided.27
The San Sebastian experience serves as a model which casino investors
desire to avoid. The model unfortunately has marked parallels with the Irish
political milieu of the 20th century. The civil war never totally ended. Even in