Bank Accounts For Political Donations
ASKS Dizzy: “How about using specific bank accounts?”
This morning’s Times leader makes for interesting reading, well for me at least. They have said that there is a ‘strong argument for having one place (probably the Electoral Commission) where contributions or assistance of any kind are recorded’ because the current system of duplication between the Register in Parliament and the Electoral Commission is overly complex. Obviously that is not something I disagree with given I wrote as much on Monday…
Why not remove that weak link in the chain? Why not, upon becoming an MP, do they not get given a specific bank account to be solely used for political donations? A specific account that requires all financial assistance that the law considers donations, in other words cash, to be deposited into and upon which nightly extractions are made for display in public records? This would remove the possibilty of the ‘I forgot because I was so busy’ excuse. If this was accompanied by a rule that was clear about the penalty for accepting cash by other means you wouldn’t have a fool-proof system but you would have a system that started to remove the human need to remember where and when to register.
Posted: 16th, January 2008 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
