Just watching Newsnight and the concept of the common good has come up in relation to tax evasion. That guy who lost his job at Saint Pauls over the occupy movement suggested that we might have to pass laws to encourage the common good. Crazy, I thought, how can you do that? Maybe this could be some kind of science fiction scenario, a world where it was illegal to act against the common good.
But actually, that's what are laws are supposed to do, that's what the tax system is supposed to do. Government and law is a balance against our inherent selfishness, unfortunately, the lawmakers inevitably try and skew the law so that it applies to other people and not them.
And that is where democracy is supposed to kick in, our politicians are accountable to poular vote and any abuse of power will see them booted out. But then since the press, the politicians and the powerful are all in cahoots...