Corruption in China just isn’t what it used to be. Austerity is breaking out all over. So as China’s politicians meet this week in Beijing for a session of their make-believe parliament, spare a thought for all those who would normally turn up to attempt to bribe them. Their job, too, just isn’t what it used to be.

A few months ago, nothing was simpler than finding out online how to bribe a government official. There were even special websites offering tips on gifting for influence – for those too squeamish for the bag-of-cash school of corruption.

But then Xi Jinping, the soon-to-be-confirmed president, announced a campaign to attack the “tigers and flies” who feed off sleaze: government officials, low and high, whose greed, he said, threatens the very future of the Communist party.