Britain's Brown promises changes after new party funding row

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/ ... -Party.php

LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised Saturday to tighten rules on political funding after police began an inquiry into disguised donations to his governing Labour Party.

Police are investigating whether businessman David Abrahams broke the law when he gave Labour around 650,000 pounds (US$1.3 million; €905,000) in the names of others — seeking to dodge rules that require major donors to be named.

The issue is threatening to undermine Brown's pledge of honest government and derail his efforts to distance himself from the scandal-tainted final months of Tony Blair's decade in office.

"I am saddened to learn that this had been happening for some time and I am angry, as you are, when standards fall below what we and the general public have a right to expect," Brown said in a speech to Labour Party members.

"The last week has shown the need for immediate changes in our own party. But I would also argue it has seen the need for broader change within our system of political funding."

Brown said reforms to spending rules could include a cap on election spending to end an "escalating arms race between parties."

It could also include a limit to donations from individuals or groups. That could be controversial if it seeks to curb donations from trade unions, which account for two-thirds of Labour's funding.

London's Metropolitan Police said detectives were investigating whether the donations Abrahams made to Labour through intermediaries broke the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act.

Brown said he and his party would cooperate fully with the investigation.

"I am determined that we get all the facts on the table without fear or favour," he said.

Blair was interviewed by police three times during a yearlong inquiry into allegations that honours — including seats in the House of Lords — were traded for donations to party funds. He was the first serving British leader to be questioned in a criminal investigation.

Police concluded in July there had been no wrongdoing in the honours case, but the inquiry dogged Blair's final months in office.

Labour General-Secretary Peter Watt quit Monday, saying he was aware Abrahams had disguised the source of his funding. John Mendelsohn, Brown's chief fund-raiser, has also acknowledged he knew Abrahams was dodging electoral rules.

Abrahams released a statement Friday night defending his donations.

"I always discussed the manner of my donations with the appropriate party officials and it was never suggested to me that I was doing anything wrong. There was no intention to deceive or mislead. I always thought until last Monday what I had been doing was above board," he said.

With public doubts already raised about the competence of Brown's government — following the loss of personal data on almost half the population — the new inquiry raises concerns about his party's integrity.

Brown's woes remind some of the slump suffered by ex-Prime Minister John Major, whose government faced repeated accusations of sleaze before it was voted out in 1997.

A poll for the BBC's Daily Politics program found 53 percent of people thought Brown's Labour sleazier than Major's Conservatives. Populus interviewed 1,011 people by telephone on Nov. 28-29. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent.

But politics expert Martin Burch, of the University of Manchester, said voters were more interested in Brown's stewardship of the economy amid a looming global slowdown.

"The test is over economic competence," Burch said. "If Brown loses credibility over that, then he'll be in trouble."

[prowler]

The true extent of the lies and deceit of the Scottish Labour Party has just been exposed.
Scottish Labour Party leader, Wendy(the mouth) Alexander it seems had no knowledge of a cheque received from Channel Islands businessman Paul Green.
Its illegal for people based offshore to donate to a UK political party.
Her memory has just been jogged, as Mr Green has made public the letter she wrote to him personally, to thank him for his donation.The letter is addressed to Jersey!
It was also claimed the donation had come from a UK company- not true!
So far, Labour's transport spokesman, Charlie Gordon has been the scapegoat and fallen on his sword.
Watch this space.
I for one, will be making sure none of my union subs will be going to this bunch of hypocrites.

[davidessex]

browns changes could lead to tax payers funding of the parties.

[cod]

browns changes could lead to tax payers funding of the parties.

and thats Exactly what Brown wants, that way he can cut all ties with the trade unions and normal working people would have no way of influencing goverment policy and could be ignored, leaving Brown free to cozy up to big business and give him self a nice pay rise to keep up with :cfo :lfo

[baldrick]

He does that already, and normal working people have no way of influencing goverment policy and are ignored now.

[cod]

OH yes we do, two thirds of the labour parties funds come from trade unions threaten to with draw this he’d soon start listening

[baldrick]

OH yes we do, two thirds of the labour parties funds come from trade unions threaten to with draw this he’d soon start listening

Maybe, but most Union leaders are not going to threaten withdrawing funding as they are part of the (New) Labour machine and don't want to rock the boat.

[cod]

Then it's up to us the grass level to rock the boat. we should start a movement called "new old labour"

[Big Daz]

http://www.labour.org.uk/gordon_brown_s ... licy_forum

Levy payments

Questions have been raised about updating the legislation of the 1980s in respect of political funds.

All reports show that this system has been free of abuse.

And following his detailed consultations, the second Hayden Phillips report proposes specific changes.

In addition to what he says on donations, he proposes clearer information on the membership form including the choice currently available to join, or not to join the political fund.

He proposes annual reports to members, and he proposes a clear one-for-one link between the number of political levy payers and the numbers affiliated to the Labour Party – all measures important to modernising the relationship.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

browns changes could lead to tax payers funding of the parties.

They can sod off! It's like paying someone to mug you on your way home. Let the members cough up if they're so keen on having a bloody commitee of middle-class bastards sit in Westminster arsing the country about.