Transparency

In Plato's Republic, there is the story of the Ring of Gyges which apparently inspired Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It's a thought experiment, Plato postulates if someone were given a ring which makes them invisible they would have to make a binary choice. Either rob a bank or anonymously help a homeless person. Plato's arguments is that 100% of people would choose the former. No one is fully altruistic.

However, what of the opposite? Invisibility was an easy thing to think of, you are there or you aren't, a simple story for its time. But what if the ring did the opposite? i.e. instead of hiding the human being from everyone, it shows everything that is done to everyone. An anti-gyges, its the principle of CCTV if you are watched, recorded and published openly you are unlikely to do anything wrong. This should be the minimum we expect from someone in political office. If you are in public office, you should disclose all transactions. In practice however, it is very difficult, in Australia this is done, to an extent. Data is published by the AEC, for political transparency, but in a poor format, and there is a glaring loophole, dark money can funnel in if the donations are below $9,000. If a mining company, gambling company or optician company want to have their priorities represented all they need to do is make a shell company which donates several $8,999 donations.

Like tax havens, there are a bevy of lawyers present when transparency laws are put through parliament. Anyone put in any position of power needs to be fully transparent. Once this is in place action can be taken...