The Wardman Wire

I’m losing patience with the arguments being put forward to defend the administrative and funding shenanigans going on inside Labour. And they are still trying to hold the line that this is more a problem of “politics”, rather than internal administration and dirty hands in their own party.

In the conversation about reforming political funding, they are still holding out for major government funding, and attempting to soft-pedal reform of Trade Union political funding.

We actually need to realise that this funding problem is a Siamese Twin of the neglected elephant slowly dying in the corner of our political salon – the elephant called levels of engagement of politics from real people.

At base, this question is not about political funding, it is about democracy.

Take the review out of this Government’s Hands

The criminal investigation is going to take – how long – months?

It strikes me that we are now close enough to an Election, that the Tories and Lib Dems could play the Hayden-Phillips review with a dead-bat, and come forward with their own comprehensive proposals. Do they have the vision?

There have also been some

After all – do you trust the Brown-Harman administration to reform political funding in a way that will increase the integrity of our democratic process?

(Hints:

).

And be a lot bolder – individual donations only

My suggestion is that we need to be far bolder than has been suggested, and make all funding come only from individuals with a small limit each – perhaps £100 per year.

Maybe Trade Unions and Companies can be neutral conduits for individual donations, but I don’t see the necessity.

The political parties may start screaming that this will cut their throats.

OK. So re-engage with the real people to prevent that happening.

[tags]labour, conservative, liberal democrat, political funding, hayden-phillips review, harriet harman, gordon brown[/tags]