Whitehall whitewashes our wallets

A short extract from The Times today, re their view of the final party funding review leaked to them yesterday.

£12.5 million limit per party from July 2008 on general election spending (down from £19 million)

Well this is a good start, less pointless messaging and less need for fundraising. Likely to cause a rise in soft money approaches to politics instead. But a reasonable start nonetheless.

Political donations capped at £500,000 from January 2009, falling to £50,000 in 2012

Eh? £50,000. This changes the entire basis of our political fundraising as it has existed throughout the last 300 years. Surely this must be accompanied by making these smaller gifts into charitable donations, some small way of perhaps increasing participation. This measure only reduces the participation of the few rich people who are bothering at the moment....

Union affilation fees and donations subject to same cap; new union members choose whether or not to give to political fund

Wow, a sop to the Tories here. Something very unexpected a likely to get a few feathers ruffled in Queen Street and Downing Street. Alternatively, NuLabour will be pleased at State interference in breaking their bond with the Unions once and for all; nicely ironic?


Year-round regulation of campaign spending in 100 most keenly fought seats

At what cost is this? And year round...we only have elections every 4-5 years? A slippery slope too. Soon there will be monitoring of all activity. This all ends in a US style politicisation of the voting process which led to the 2000 Florida voting debacle.

Big rise in state funding of parties, linked to votes at elections or membership, rising as donation cap falls

AGHHHHH! No. A big rise, please save me from these rapacious scum. How dare they lose our respect and then demand our money. Time to consider an appeal to the courts methinks in a desperate attempt to avert this. Maybe Human Rights legislation can for once of be help here. Anyone know?

Electoral Commission to focus on policing donations, losing its role in voter education; politicians to sit on its board

More money to be wasted? Why do they need to police such insignificant donations. Also to admit politicians in some sort of twisted idea that they have the right morals to avoid all putting their hands in other people's pockets. Truly Sir Hayden shows no mercy to the population of our country.

More public funds for office of leader of Liberal Democrats and smaller parties, based on number of MP's and votes.

More funding at our expense. This list is a long one now, nearing 9 figures now easily and maybe more. Also this institutionalises the status quo even further. Only those in power to be rewarded with our money. This actually will reduce the funding for UKIP et al.


Overall, this is a near disaster for the country if much of this gets followed. Politicians, whose main failing in my eyes is having a lack of real world experience, will be off further into the ether. Never having to speak to real people to raise money, never having to have real world jobs. It stinks, it really does.

P.S. Note that The Times cannot spell affiliation correctly either!!