‍Corruption is defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It’s not that simple of course because it spreads its poisonous tentacles into the institutions that affect the lives of us all, including central and local government.

‍

‍It is widespread in Russia (in fact it’s how Putin stays in power), much of Africa and South America and, of course, the US whose current emperor-president is one of corruption’s greatest exponents. But who would have guessed that even Trump would use his powers so blatantly by getting his equally corrupt friend, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, to suspend a red card issued to the USA star striker, Felarin Balogun, so that he can play in today’s game against Belgium.

‍

‍I know nothing about the so-called beautiful game (and please don’t try to explain the off-side rule to me) but I can spot corruption a mile away. Fat man in the White House makes £1.6 billion on the side since becoming president 18 months ago. That precisely fits the dictionary definition of  corruption: abuse of entrusted power for personal gain.

‍

‍We should not be surprised by anything Trump does, though getting FIFA to suspend for a year a red card given to a US player does take some dark imaginings. Unsurprising is that FIFA should so instantly have complied. 

‍

‍This is an outfit that gave Agent Orange the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize after the discriminating Nobel judges chose to overlook this vile criminal.

‍Henceforth FIFA shall be known as Fixing It For America.

‍

‍Closer to home we have Trump’s pal Farage further exposed by the Sunday Times as the arch grifter we know so well. Not content with the £5 million he was bunged by Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, he is now accused of being funded by a convicted fraudster half his age by the name of George Cottrell. Or Posh George to his friends. And yes, he’s another crypto multi-millionaire who supplied Farage with close protection as well as cars and accommodation and three young things to transform his social media presence.

‍

‍The Reform leader refuses to answer a single question about the £5 million from Harborne using the stock “It’s none of your business” but it is the business of the Commons’ Standards people who are investigating and who will soon be reporting on whether he’s guilty of a serious breach in not declaring the gift.

‍

‍If they find against him, Farage will be under pressure to quit, which I suspect he is thinking about doing anyway. He rarely makes an appearance in the Commons or indeed in his Clacton constituency. His £98,000 salary as an MP is dwarfed by other earnings including a reported £22,000 per hour (yes, per hour) for promoting gold bullion.

‍

‍He is suddenly becoming rather shy, leaving his defence to the “nothing to see here” Zia Yusuf and little Bobby Jenrick who has accused the Sunday Times of re-hashing an old story and of being a Labour-supporting newspaper. He clearly hasn’t read it recently.

‍

‍There are many forms of ‘soft’ corruption and I see the rewarding of knighthoods for editors while still in office as one of them. Thatcher did it with Larry Lamb, Nick Lloyd and David English and it secured their undying support. Having said that, the opposition to her Tory government was so weak at the time that support was the only option in any case.

‍The other is stuffing the House of Lords with cronies. In fact, the Lords is the ultimate form of corruption in this country and should be an elected Upper House as in most other democracies.

‍

‍In the meantime, here’s hoping that the Trump/Infantino antics finally does for FIFA and its rampant corruption. And here’s a prediction as well as a hope: Farage will quit or be sacked by the end of this year.

‍

‍Maybe Dear Donald will find him a berth.

‍

‍*****

‍

‍We’ve had July 4, now for the 12th when those silly Orangemen strut their increasingly irrelevant stuff in the towns and cities of my little Northern Ireland. One man will be missing, though he will be on the minds of many of the marchers.

‍

‍I refer, of course, to Jeffrey Donaldson, now incarcerated in Maghaberry prison in his old Lagan Valley constituency, jailed for 18 child sex offences including rape and awaiting a lengthy sentence in September.

‍

‍There are many aspects of this awful case that trouble me, foremost why on earth did nobody raise the alarm long before the peelers finally came knocking at 6am? It was clear Donaldson was a wrong-un yet the likes of Ian Paisley Jnr said nothing even after he witnessed his mate getting so pissed that he projectile vomited over the mayor of Beijing during one overseas trade mission.

‍

‍The phony God-bothering paedophile was also spotted by Special Branch officers entering a gay sauna near the Palace of Westminster so he was obviously known to be a security risk. Was anybody told? There are other incidents of him getting drunk, carrying two open bottles of wine and pestering a woman guest on the Commons terrace in full view of dozens.  It was known he was having an affair with a constituent and visiting hookers in London. And all the while wearing a ‘Jesus fish’ lapel badge and, when the snappers were around, carrying a bible.

‍

‍Donaldson is the worst sort hypocrite, an Ulster one.

‍

‍AND FINALLY

‍I said earlier that I know very little about football but I am following the England World Cup games and have become a fan of messrs Kane, Bellingham, Rashford and Anthony Gordon. Brilliant skills apart, they seem like role models, speak well and I hope they finally bring it home (as I believe they may).

‍

‍Five years ago Rashford topped the Sunday Times Giving List after he raised and donated £20 million to the food poverty charity FareShare. His campaigning against poverty led to a row with that arch prat Gavin Williamson (remember him?)

‍

‍As for the other three stars, they all have Irish ancestry. In the case of Harry Kane, his cousins are the brilliant Kane Sisters (Liz and Yvonne), traditional fiddle players from Connemara.

‍

‍When Harry is knighted, as he surely will be, I hope they serenade him with a jig or two.

‍

‍ALAN FRAME

‍7 July 2026