Are Politicians Above Reproach?

In Sex, lies and the reckless I pick up the thread posed by one the commentators ......he is just another dirty politician, it is to suggest that there are a lot of politicians who are corrupt, and while that might be the case in the third world, is it necessarily true in the first world, the western democratic countries in Europe, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Who would you define as a good politician - would that be someone concerned about society?

What are the characteristics of a politician?

What is a bad politician and what can society do to change itself?