It looks as though state funding of political parties is on the agenda again, after the Sunday Times sting on the inept Peter Cruddas.
There are many reasons why I will never accept this. All of them are so well covered by Snowolf in his recent post that further comment from me is superfluous. Go read. Key quote:
Fourthly, it is not equitable, because you can bet that the amount of cash allocated to each party will be based on bums on seats in the House or shares of votes. It will see the big three freezing out all the others, and the LibLabCon will grow ever fatter, complacent and arrogant on the back of our enforced largesse. It really will be the old boys’ club, Christ on a little purple tricycle, the big three are indistinguishable enough at the moment, just wait until they can dictate what funding, if any, the little boys will get. It’s simply not on, UKIP, the Greens, SNP, PC, BNP, English Democrats, all legit political parties, will be starved of oxygen and shut down. You’ll be paying to hear the voice that decides what voice you get to hear.
Oh I love this argument. The parties have proved themselves untrustworthy and corruptible, therefore we should be forced to give them our money instead.
ReplyDeleteAh, no thank you. It leads either to a stitch-up as Snowolf sets out, or it leads to money being available to anyone who wants to set up a party - in which case I'm going to start six tomorrow morning.
With "Short Money" and the "Union Modernisation Fund" they are already routing taxpayers money back into the Party coffers. I suspect that's where a load of the expenses went, too.
ReplyDeleteThe only difference with this proposal is that they couldn't think of a suitably opaque discription for what they were going to "invest".
Patently - I presume you've beaten us to it and patented your suggestion....
Yippee - fine idea! I suspect there will be a qualification period so let's all start political parties today; I bags Cruddas for my treasurer. And Michael 'Wrinkleponce' Winner for my Chief of Political Correctness.
ReplyDeleteIf politicial parties want tax payers money then they should look to their own members to provide it from their own pockets.
ReplyDeleteNo donations of any kind, financial or in kind, allowed from anyone who is not a fully paid up member. Then limited to say a bag of sand maximum per annum.
I'd be happy with those arrangements, otherwise we're going to see the gang of three (nuLabor,Lib/Dems & Tories) stitching it nicely for themselves.
Why do political parties need so much cash anyway?
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that all political advertising should be banned, at least in the 3 months prior to an election.