COLUMN: Price to pay over party donations (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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COLUMN: Price to pay over party donations
2:52pm Thursday 5th April 2012 in Jack Straw column
By Jack Straw, MP for Blackburn
This time, it’s been the Conservatives in the frame, with allegations of seeking large donations from rich people in return for favours.
I’ve enjoyed the sport.
But I also know that my party has faced similar charges in the past.
In any event, whilst the Conservatives receive some very large gifts from businesspeople, Labour gets large amounts from the trades unions.
The Liberal Democrats are not immune from these pressures either.
The problem is that our democracy could not operate without political parties.
The parties have to be paid for, one way or another.
Despite the serious scandals which do erupt in the UK from time to time – usually hitting the party in power – British politics is, by any international comparison, (a) clean; and (b) very cheap.
The two are connected.
And British politics has over the years become cleaner, and cheaper. There’s far less tolerance, rightly, than there was.
The MPs’ expenses scandal only came out because the law insists on much greater openness.
The last US national election in 2008 (for the President and Congress) the parties spent about £3.5 billion.
The UK General Election in 2010 cost £82 million. Allowing for differences in population, that’s about a tenth of the US spend, per head.
I know of no party leader, of any party, who relishes going round to people cap in hand, seeking money.
But this will go on, with all the attendant risks, unless the public are willing to accept that some more of the low cost of our democracy should come from the taxpayer.
That’s what the Committee on Standards in Public Life under Sir Christopher Kelly has recommended – with a cap on all individual donations of £10,000.
There is already some state funding – averaging £7 million a year.
This pays for party political broadcasts, the General Election “Freepost”, and for example the special grants to Opposition parties.
Less than £1 per head each year would enable us to end the problem of “big money” in politics altogether.
But this choice truly is yours, the voter’s.
Comments(6)
makaveli96
says...
4:23pm Thu 5 Apr 12
All CRIME would soon stop, and we would have the perfect person and perfect England to live in.
ToffeeGuy
says...
10:37pm Thu 5 Apr 12
Same.Old.Tories.
sean_brfc
says...
4:51pm Fri 6 Apr 12
manyarecalled
says...
12:43pm Tue 10 Apr 12
the populations however are different.313 million to 59 million, a ratio of about 5.3 i.e. we have 5 times as many MPs per head of population as occurs in the USA.so the ''low cost'' of our democracy does not take into account the cost of running all these MPs.
the issue of corruption in politics is a murky one. no political system is immune , nor any country. to assume that , is either naive or criminal.
it is obvious that the contibutors to the Conservative Party are rewarded either by honours or in cash terms. what is not obvious is what the trades unions ( or indeed ordinary voters) get in return for their contributions . New Labour behaves in a similar way to the Conservative Party.
Galloway is correct.
obviously the Scots will vote with their feet ASAP . we in Lancashire just have to figure out a way to emulate them. one thing we have is water for heavy industry as compared to the SE .so that is a start .we need new local banks to get the whole thing started.
Good call
says...
5:17pm Tue 10 Apr 12
sean_brfc wrote:what is wrong with unions,oh and I am not a labour member, voter or supporter.Voting has not, is not doing and will never make any difference.
Capping individual donations to £10,000 would severely hit the Tories; no wonder you're in favour of it, Jack. How would you limit the donations from trade union members to the Labour party, I wonder? Comparing the cost of UK political parties to those in the US is ridiculous as the cost of the latter is astronomical. Perhaps the taxpayer should fund the main parties entirely then we can eradicate individual donations and stymie the increasing cost of British politics.
Kevin, Colne says...
3:33pm Thu 5 Apr 12
Your column is a thoughtful piece of writing with some serious and pertinent questions.
You raise issues that need a calm and mature debate but given the low standing of the political class among the citizenry at large and the sheer idiocy of much of the mainstream media I doubt we shall get a thoughtful discussion.
One point where I would take issue with you is your claim that 'The MPs’ expenses scandal only came out because the law insists on much greater openness.'
As I recall the matter begin with a request under the Freedom of Information Act and members of parliament and the House of Commons authorities did all in their power to prevent the information on expenses being made public.
If the information had not been leaked to the press the public would have remained ignorant of the scandal because the edited version of expenses that was eventually published by the House of Commons authorities had vast swathes of information showing what money had spent on blocked out.
In short, the political class had to be dragged kicking, screaming and wailing in order to be held to account.
Parliamentary expenses are now much more open, and quite rightly too, but the expenses scandal did very severe damge to the body politic and this is going to be with us for a very long to come.
Kevin