Unlock Democracy blasts government cop out on party funding reform
Commenting on the Secretary of State for Justice’s publication today of a white paper on party funding reform, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said:
“After three years of a string of damaging news stories on party funding, this report is a wasted opportunity that will come back to haunt the political class in years to come.
“While we welcome the long-overdue proposals to beef up the Electoral Commission’s role, this is in itself a minor step. The rest of the paper is a muddled mix of excuses for not taking action and even proposals to go backwards.
“It is simply not true to claim that there is no public support for caps on party donations and spending to political parties. Polls have repeatedly demonstrated the opposite, suggesting that two-thirds of the public would support caps on donations.
“The proposals to bring back ‘triggering’ defy belief. The triggering rules, whereby expenses limits on candidates only kicked in once they officially declared themselves, were abolished in 2000 because they were widely known to be unenforceable. Candidates simply got around the rules by referring to themselves as ‘parliamentary spokespeople’ or ‘local champions.’ This will be completely symbolic legislation that will achieve nothing.
“The self-serving nature of the political class was made clear when Jack Straw stated that caps on donations could not be introduced due to a lack of cross-party consensus. Yet the government is quite prepared to force through its plans to compromise centuries-old civil liberties such as habeas corpus in the face of cross-party opposition. When governments consider the interests of political parties as more sacrosanct than the rights of individuals, we are truly lost.
“There is a perfectly sensible way forward: introduce a citizens’ assembly on party funding, as has just been announced in New Zealand. The Ministry of Justice has repeatedly expressed its support of such forms of decision-making over the past twelve months; it is time it matched words with deeds.
“Simply cherry picking from Sir Hayden Phillips’ review process, as Jack Straw has proposed doing today, will simply entrench public cynicism and guarantee another major round of scandals within five years. At a local level, political engagement will continue to decline. We can only hope that more enlightened parliamentarians will seek to strengthen these proposals when they go through Parliament.”
Unlock Democracy commissioned an ICM poll on public attitudes to party funding proposals in March 2007. You can see a summary of the figures, and Unlock Democracy’s report “Party Funding: Supporting the Grassroots” here: http://www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?p=718
ENDS
1. Unlock Democracy, incorporating Charter 88 is the UK’s leading campaign for democracy, rights and freedoms.
2. For more information, a quote or an interview, please contact James Graham on 020 7278 4443 / 07966 237550 / james.graham@unlockdemocracy.org.uk.
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