tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20661330.post9062991590334693163..comments2023-10-18T15:43:21.360+01:00Comments on Fair Deal Phil: Tory methods of hiding donations exposed...fairdealphilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246131944479743426noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20661330.post-44747555497975831402008-05-15T22:24:00.000+01:002008-05-15T22:24:00.000+01:00The solution to the daft laws is to make sensible ...The solution to the daft laws is to make sensible ones ... not to complain when the existing ones are so ridiculous that no-one appears to actually be able to us them. Including parties that have recieved substantial amounts of cash to pay for training on them ... <BR/><BR/>I agree that transparency is probably the answer ... the problem is that these rules do not achieve anything like transparency ... and will not because the last thing Labour wants is transparency.<BR/><BR/>Partisan ... because the last set of laws were intended to 'get' Tory funding while leaving Labour funding intact ... the fact that Labour was hoist on its own petard only makes the absurdity of passing partisan laws more obvious.<BR/><BR/>As to buying elections ... the spending of money by Government departments appears to climb dramatically in the period before elections and the Government is now the largest spender on advertising space in the UK. The attempt to buy the local elections this year with adverts about community policing being the most recent example of this corruption ... in my view institutional corruption by this Government rather than the individual corruption of individuals ... and that's before we look at other matters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20661330.post-76909263909056278182008-05-15T22:06:00.000+01:002008-05-15T22:06:00.000+01:00Evan,I would not pretend that the laws Labour brou...Evan,<BR/><BR/>I would not pretend that the laws Labour brought in to stop the Tories buying elections are perfect. <BR/><BR/>But surely a step in the right direction towards transparency. <BR/><BR/>Let's not go back to the dark days of Tory-rule, with cash in brown envelopes and when no-one had a clue who was bankrolling the Tory General Election campaign.<BR/><BR/>Partisan?? <BR/><BR/>I'm sure some people see the laws Labour passed were to stop the Tories buying elections. <BR/><BR/>I guess that's partisan, yes.fairdealphilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07246131944479743426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20661330.post-51922882903067224062008-05-15T15:45:00.000+01:002008-05-15T15:45:00.000+01:00So, Ken Livingstone and Labour should be revealing...So, Ken Livingstone and Labour should be revealing all in relation to donations to the Mayoral campaign too? Will the Labour Party doit without prompting?<BR/><BR/>The reality is that this law, like many created over the last 10 years, is badly drafted and badly implemented. What do you expect from a law that was partisan in intent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20661330.post-13442092958802095382008-05-15T14:54:00.000+01:002008-05-15T14:54:00.000+01:00Geoffrey:well, if wee Georgie can't organise his o...Geoffrey:<BR/><BR/>well, if wee Georgie can't organise his own finances, imagine what a mess he'd make of the nation's...fairdealphilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07246131944479743426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20661330.post-43453952320005189782008-05-15T14:46:00.000+01:002008-05-15T14:46:00.000+01:00We'll have to send him off to Labour HQ for buy-el...We'll have to send him off to Labour HQ for buy-election training!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com