The question that has to be
addressed is not so much as to whether there should be State funding, but if it
is to be justified on the basis that it is to enhance our democracy, what
conditions and requirements have to be met by those recipients of the funding.
There are clear links between party democracy,
membership and fund raising. There is
no doubt that healthy political parties should be capable of raising from the
public sufficient funds to sustain themselves.
It is equally clear that for their own internal reasons the two main
parties have pursued large donations from a few individuals and in the process
have created a public perception of sleaze. They have avoided the option of raising
funds in small amounts from a large number of people because without democratic
reform of the parties their pleas would fall on deaf ears.
The solution to their problem requires the
recognition of the calamitous financial state that the parties are in and that
State funding should be strictly limited to assisting the parties to overcoming
their temporary difficulties. There
should be a time limit on the main element of funding. In order to eliminate the public perception
of sleaze the maximum size of any donation from an individual should be limited
to £10,000. The parties should be
democratically accountable to their membership. The limit on donations becomes less
important if the parties are democratically accountable to their members for it
would make it more difficult to obtain influence in such circumstances. All these steps are taken to enhance
democracy and should be conditions imposed on the parties prior to them
receiving State funding.
The
simplest way for these objectives to be achieved is for the State to pay a per
capita amount (say £20.00) to each political party dependent on the number of
audited members of the party paying a minimum subscription of £10.00. Such monies paid by the State should be
reduced each year by 20% thus eliminating the subsidy over five years. This would give the parties time to increase
their membership to the point where they are self-financing.
To enhance democracy the State should pay a per capita amount (say
£20.00) to each political party dependent on the number of audited members of
the party paying a minimum subscription of £10.00 and subject to the parties
having democratic constitutions. This
would encourage them to concentrate on building up their membership. The subsidy would diminish by 20% each year
and be completely abolished after five years.
The Trade Unions should
be subjected to the same limits on donations to political parties as Companies
and individuals i.e. £10,000.
