Labour sleaze and David Abrahams

What a shame that the thousands donated by Labour benefactor, property tycoon and Walter Mitty exponent David Abrahams is to be used to prop up the UK economy. Abrahams’s money will go to the treasury, the £600000 he donated so mysteriously using proxies will fuel the economy for at least ten minutes. Gordon Brown has decided that David is too hot to handle, and so no peerage or knighthood for Abrahams m’boy. Abrahams is understandly most miffed at this slap in the face by the ungrateful Labour party.

Opinion polls show 90% of the country don’t want state funding of political parties, but if you allow rich private donors to contribute to party funds you will get sleaze, no doubt about it. Only someone working for Mother Theresa would believe that a rich businessman wants nothing in return for a party donation. Lord Sainsbury and Lord Ashcroft to name only two are businessmen used to dealing with bottom lines of income versus expenditure and are adept at constantly cutting costs. Of course they want a peerage or worse, say a green light for a business contract, or helpful laws to be passed, as their reward in return for a donation.

Perhaps the only way to save the UK political system from such abuse seen in other countries like the USA, where they are having exactly the same debate about party funding by state or private funding, is to pass a law that political parties can only raise their money by tombolas at village fetes.

Let’s get real about this, state funding of political parties already happens to a limited extent, election postage costs is one area already underwritten by the UK state. This political blog believes that state funding to the tune of £50 million to cover all parties who receive over 5% of the national vote is the best choice of a bad bunch of choices. A bit like democracy being the least worst political system really.

This article published by www.conspiracyreview.com ©2008.