Sunday, August 02, 2009
Reverting to type
Those of us who had derived some hope from reports that Labour were re-thinking plans to introduce ID cards in the face of massive public opposition and had at last been convinced by the case for preventing non-domiciles donating to political parties should have known better.
Ministers are pressing on remorselessly with their illiberal, uneconomic and ineffective ID card scheme whilst, according to this morning's Observer the plan to stop wealthy tax exiles bankrolling political parties has been quietly dropped until after a general election because Labour are broke. It is enough to make me want to stop believing what I read in the press. I had stopped believing in Government u-turns some time ago.
The paper says that the disclosure means that key Labour donors such as Lakshmi Mittal as well as Tory donor Lord Ashcroft will still be able to pump millions of pounds into the forthcoming election campaign, despite promises to curb the influence of wealthy backers. They add that it has prompted accusations that the government has "nobbled" an act of parliament by failing to ask the electoral commission to enforce the rule:
The Political Parties and Elections Act was given royal assent two weeks ago. It included an amendment which was supposed to limit donations from individuals who are domiciled abroad for tax purposes – so called "non-doms" – to no more than £7,500 a year.
It was finally voted through after months of behind-the-scenes battles between Labour backbenchers, who wished to curtail the power of donors, and ministers who were minded that their party receives significant support from "non-doms" such as Gordon Brown's confidante Lord Paul, and the packaged food tycoon Sir Gulam Noon. Last month Jack Straw, the justice secretary, accepted the amendment amid a flurry of press releases and briefings , claiming that only those who pay all their income tax in Britain will be able to give significant funds to political parties.
But the electoral commission, the political watchdog charged with implementing the law, told the Observer this weekend that the law is not expected to be enforced until the summer of 2010 – weeks after the expected date of the next general election. A commission spokesman said that officials are waiting for Straw to lay an order before parliament before the law can be implemented. "In the meantime, the rules will stay as before and someone who is non-domiciled abroad can still donate," he said.
Ministers have failed to grasp the bullet in properly reforming party finances so as to stop seriously rich people from buying influence. The proposals in this Act of Parliament were only half-measures anyway, a poor substitute for root and branch reform that would have put all parties on a level playing field. Yet the Government cannot even find the moral fibre to get that right.
Ministers are pressing on remorselessly with their illiberal, uneconomic and ineffective ID card scheme whilst, according to this morning's Observer the plan to stop wealthy tax exiles bankrolling political parties has been quietly dropped until after a general election because Labour are broke. It is enough to make me want to stop believing what I read in the press. I had stopped believing in Government u-turns some time ago.
The paper says that the disclosure means that key Labour donors such as Lakshmi Mittal as well as Tory donor Lord Ashcroft will still be able to pump millions of pounds into the forthcoming election campaign, despite promises to curb the influence of wealthy backers. They add that it has prompted accusations that the government has "nobbled" an act of parliament by failing to ask the electoral commission to enforce the rule:
The Political Parties and Elections Act was given royal assent two weeks ago. It included an amendment which was supposed to limit donations from individuals who are domiciled abroad for tax purposes – so called "non-doms" – to no more than £7,500 a year.
It was finally voted through after months of behind-the-scenes battles between Labour backbenchers, who wished to curtail the power of donors, and ministers who were minded that their party receives significant support from "non-doms" such as Gordon Brown's confidante Lord Paul, and the packaged food tycoon Sir Gulam Noon. Last month Jack Straw, the justice secretary, accepted the amendment amid a flurry of press releases and briefings , claiming that only those who pay all their income tax in Britain will be able to give significant funds to political parties.
But the electoral commission, the political watchdog charged with implementing the law, told the Observer this weekend that the law is not expected to be enforced until the summer of 2010 – weeks after the expected date of the next general election. A commission spokesman said that officials are waiting for Straw to lay an order before parliament before the law can be implemented. "In the meantime, the rules will stay as before and someone who is non-domiciled abroad can still donate," he said.
Ministers have failed to grasp the bullet in properly reforming party finances so as to stop seriously rich people from buying influence. The proposals in this Act of Parliament were only half-measures anyway, a poor substitute for root and branch reform that would have put all parties on a level playing field. Yet the Government cannot even find the moral fibre to get that right.
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I don't know which astounds the the most - government hypocrisy - or how anyone thought they would really do it! There has never been a more conservative party than Labour in power. At least you know what you get with the Tory party - toffs pretending to care - a sort of contrived noblesse oblige. yet Labour always disappoints - power after all is an addictive drug and once you are hooked - morality typically deserts you and all you want is more.
# posted by 
: 10:17 AM
: 10:17 AM
"...only half-measures anyway, a poor substitute for root and branch reform that would have put all parties on a level playing field."
The mixed metaphpor to end all mixed metaphors?
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The mixed metaphpor to end all mixed metaphors?
# posted by : 11:53 AM
: 11:53 AM
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