Popular Culture Review Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer 2008 | Page 78

74 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