Beware Millipede -

[Lt Kije]

And when they do Asp?

[asperity]

And when they do other political parties will come into being and we shall see what occurs. We don't have to be tied to the same old tried, tested and found to be useless system forever you know!

[Lt Kije]

And how are these new Parties to be financed Asp?

[asperity]

By contributions from supporters of course. If there are no supporters the party goes bust.

[Lt Kije]

Would you have individual limits ?

[asperity]

Individual limits to what? Contributions? I presume you are talking fairness here, the politics of the playground. The reality is that if the political parties we have now were as popular as they like to think they are, they wouldn't be looking for the taxpayer to bail them out because people would be queuing round the block to give them money.

[Lt Kije]

Asp, it was not an attack, the reason I asked is because the Tory party has few members but a few rich people donate to keep it going, you could have a very well financed small party. The Labour Party are equally dependent on the unions, you seem to be talking about a system very similar to the system we have now.

 

To expand your idea more, perhaps political parties should only be allowed to spend what they get in from membership money, and cap the amount they can charge for membership, and allow no donations from companies, individuals or unions, I think the parties would be smaller but it would free them some what from the perception that people or organisations only give money for influence.

[asperity]

What I'm getting at is that the main political parties are manouevring to get tax-payer funding, with conditions that would stop smaller parties gaining a foothold and keeping this broken system in place. Perhaps some kind of limit on spending dependent on proved party membership would remove any fears about certain people buying influence.

[observer]

A blanket cap on spending and some free access to media outlets at election time, should be enough.

[Lt Kije]

A blanket cap will not work, as you could end up with one very rich person founding a party, that why I suggested its dine on membership.

[observer]

If there was a "spending cap" it wouldn't matter how rich they were.

[Lt Kije]

Still better done by amount of members, the larger the membership the bigger the voice, that's how it should be.

[observer]

That would mean they'll get even less money !

[Lt Kije]

If they get members they get money simple, money should be derived from membership, if ther policies meet with public apovel people will join if not they won't .

[Bazj]

If they get members they get money simple, money should be derived from membership, if ther policies meet with public apovel people will join if not they won't .

 

hence the rise in UKIP membership!!

[Lt Kije]

Has green part membership not gone up as well Baz., Tory party are really feeling it down to 150,000 and not only that, their party members are getting older, A Tory party member has an average age of 71.

[Bazj]

The Green party membership has indeed gone up.... by 50% according to some reports; that's now 32 members they have

 

 

seriously though; they did see a 10% rise in members of the Young Greens over 1 weekend in 2010 when the government brought their tuition fee rises in

[observer]

.... and they held their conference in Brighton !