Should political parties be funded by the state?
The ongoing questions regarding Lord Ashcroft, his tax affairs and his donations to the Conservative party have cast a very dark cloud over the political scene and in particular funding for political parties. This comes at a time when the Labour Party, with union donations at record lows, is looking to push through state funding for political parties. While the headlines regarding Lord Ashcroft continue, behind the scenes there is a suspicion that the Labour Party is using this particular saga to firm up its bid for state funded political parties.
A quick look back at the history of political party funding has shown many grey areas emerging over the years where the fine print of the law has often been pushed to the limit. A number of people have come forward in favour of state funding for political parties in the past but until now no progress has really been made in this particular area. However, the ongoing Lord Ashcroft saga is almost certain to bring state funded political parties into the spotlight again although the current rules and regulations are unlikely to be changed before the next general election.
It is likely that political funding from the state would be linked to an individual party's share of the vote which could see smaller parties falling by the wayside and the major parties in the UK pushing further and further ahead.
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