Is there anyone with an ounce of political sense advising Gordon Brown? The Daily Mail online service has just published a useful upsummer on Lord Ashcroft's vote-buying scam in Tory marginals and the Hayden Phillips saga. It reports:
It emerged Labour will threaten new legislation if David Cameron fails to agree a deal on party funding.
Doh!
So it's OK for politicians to fleece taxpayers to pay even more money for political parties? In this instance, is David Cameron going to leave himself exposed to that allegation in any circumstances, let alone current ones?
As set out in my earlier blog today, there is a principled position for Gordon Brown. He should state unequivocally now is the time for Britain's political parties to stand on their own feet financially, demonstrate to the electorate by attracting new members their commitment to party politics as active citizenship. This will involve new legislation to create a level playing field for election spending both nationally and locally.
If David Cameron wants to run the political risk of opposing legal spending caps, tough. We can expose what has been going on in the margins and what is planned. There is plenty of time to inform public opinion. Of course, the Tories will continue to whinge about Trade Union donations. There is also plenty of time to inform public opinion about how trade unions are required by law to seek their members' approval for political donations. In any event didn't Gordon Brown succeed in curbing Trades Union power inside the Labour Party at its 2007 Annual Conference.
May the principled party win.