76 people made 41% of donations to political parties

CREATIVE!11 · 19 Apr 2015 at 11:06

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/76-people-made-41-donations-181129948.html

Can someone explain this to me? Why are businesses the ones donating money to political parties....(I mean yeah well it's obvious they have money but surely there is a conflict of interest? and we're all adults here, lets be honest they aren't donating the money out of the goodness of their hearts....) I'm not a tinfoil hat crazy but I start to think do we really live in a democracy or is it just an illusion. Oh I voted for x me therefore I'm doing good for Britain.... no it's probably just another corrupt party getting money off of companies and then passing legislation that suits corporations. Just look at the VERY RECENT lobbying scandal that emerged.

I forget where I read it little while back but princeton university did a study of the american political system and they concluded in their study they believe america is not a democracy anymore. The same reason as listed above, because corporations make all the donations to the parties in exchange for favourable policies.

Is this why we haven't seen tax loopholes closed? despite them claiming they would deal with the problem for a long time.

It just continues on every year unopposed but apparently immigrants and people with different skin colour and poor people are the real problem we face! yeah of course.... :rolleyes:

I understand the votes for UKIP, it's a knee jerk reaction to the current situation but lets be real. They are not the answer either.

stopper · 19 Apr 2015 at 11:14

CREATIVE!11 said:
Can someone explain this to me? Why are businesses the ones donating money to political parties....(I mean yeah well it's obvious they have money but surely there is a conflict of interest?) I'm not a tinfoil hat crazy but I start to think do we really live in a democracy or is it just an illusion.

There is nothing tinfoil about it, that really is how it works.
And people think voting actually makes a difference.....

dowie · 19 Apr 2015 at 11:17

CREATIVE!11 said:
Can someone explain this to me? Why are businesses the ones donating money to political parties....(I mean yeah well it's obvious they have money but surely there is a conflict of interest?) I'm not a tinfoil hat crazy but I start to think do we really live in a democracy or is it just an illusion. Oh I voted for x me therefore I'm doing good for Britain.... no it's probably just another corrupt party getting money off of companies and then passing legislation that suits corporations. Just look at the VERY RECENT lobbying scandal that emerged.

political parties were created to represent the interests of certain people in the first place... it shouldn't be surprising that labour, for example, gets funding from trade unions and is more likely to create policies that unions find desirable etc..

I forget where I read it little while back but princeton university did a study of the american political system and they concluded in their study they believe america is not a democracy anymore. The same reason as listed above, because corporations make all the donations to the parties in exchange for favourable policies.

you're getting confused between donations and lobbying... companies/groups might pay people to pester politicians etc.. but a company can't make a direct donation to a politician in the US, people have been prosecuted when that happens (i.e. directors getting company money and then making 'personal donations')

they've got political action committees where union members or managers etc.. can provide funds and the whole thing can be administered by sponsoring organisations

but yeah donations are a much bigger issue in the USA in general as is lobbying

Xordium · 19 Apr 2015 at 11:46

You seem shocked. The other thing you may notice is that the 3 largest parties broadly have the very same outlook with only minor differences. I wonder why that is?

scorza · 19 Apr 2015 at 11:50

stopper said:
There is nothing tinfoil about it, that really is how it works.
And people think voting actually makes a difference.....

Of course voting makes a difference, don't vote for either of the two parties that seemed to receive the vast bulk of those donations (Conservative and SNP).

Wink · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:00

scorza said:
Of course voting makes a difference, don't vote for either of the two parties that seemed to receive the vast bulk of those donations (Conservative and SNP).

Does it really matter where they came from?

If you agree with their policies you should vote for them.

scorza · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:06

Wink said:
Does it really matter where they came from?

If you agree with their policies you should vote for them.

Well that's the question you've got to ask yourself. Are you comfortable that a small number of very rich people are making significant donations to political parties? What do they get in return? Do you really agree with their policies or have you been influenced by the slick, expensive campaigns run by these parties with the donations they've received from a few, rich folk?

dacads · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:12

We're all making involuntary donations

Xordium · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:14

Wink said:
If you agree with their policies you should vote for them.

What is the point is voting for someone based upon policies when there is no way to make them keep them. Referendum anyone?

StriderX · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:14

Wink said:
Does it really matter where they came from?

If you agree with their policies you should vote for them.

What policies... Anything outside the realm of possibility is not a policy, it is a lie.

This vote is a vote for the person face you dislike the least, end of.

Dolph · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:17

No mention of the money given by trade unions? Unite, for example, gave labour £1m in the last 2 weeks...

Money is a problem in politics, but so is honesty in reporting and legislating, which is the main reason nothing changes.

delta0 · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:39

Xordium said:
You seem shocked. The other thing you may notice is that the 3 largest parties broadly have the very same outlook with only minor differences. I wonder why that is?

They all have the exactly the same backgrounds.

mid_gen · 19 Apr 2015 at 12:56

I would rather the money for political campaigning came from private money than public money. It has to come from somewhere.

Xordium · 19 Apr 2015 at 13:14

Dolph said:
Money is a problem in politics, but so is honesty in reporting and legislating, which is the main reason nothing changes.

No the main reason nothing changes is because of voter apathy. People willingly complain with their friends and on here but people won't actively do anything to cause change.

People are sufficiently comfortable and laissez-faire that they don't actually become political creatures themselves and therefore rather than effect the game they become mere spectators who then complain when results don't go their way.

inogen · 19 Apr 2015 at 13:31

Xordium said:
No the main reason nothing changes is because of voter apathy. People willingly complain with their friends and on here but people won't actively do anything to cause change.

People are sufficiently comfortable and laissez-faire that they don't actually become political creatures themselves and therefore rather than effect the game they become mere spectators who then complain when results don't go their way.

Nonsense. The average worker, living an average lifestyle hasn't got time to effect change through our political system. It's been built that way. In order to effect change, you need time and money. ie, you need to either be rich or represent the rich.

Our whole socio-economic system is built around the accumulation of capital. Everthing else is a means to that end. Tell me how to change that, whilst running two businesses, barely paying my mortgage and driving a 10+ year old car. I don't even had kids.

What we do get is a vote. But even that is relatively meaningless unless you happen to live in a marginal constituency.

scorza · 19 Apr 2015 at 13:54

Dolph said:
No mention of the money given by trade unions? Unite, for example, gave labour £1m in the last 2 weeks...

Difference is that Unite represent 1.4 million British workers, so that's less than £1 each. When a business donates to a political party it's normally on behalf of a small number of very wealthy shareholders.

Dolph · 19 Apr 2015 at 14:01

scorza said:
Difference is that Unite represent 1.4 million British workers, so that's less than £1 each. When a business donates to a political party it's normally on behalf of a small number of very wealthy shareholders.

Splitting hairs I'm afraid. Unite have no more right to buy influence than any other group, although they have been far more successful at it at least within the labour party.

If those 1.4 million workers want to donate, they don't need unite to act as a middleman.

Contributions from individual entities should be capped, whether that entity is a person, a company or a trade union.

inogen · 19 Apr 2015 at 14:15

Dolph said:
Splitting hairs I'm afraid. Unite have no more right to buy influence than any other group, although they have been far more successful at it at least within the labour party.

If those 1.4 million workers want to donate, they don't need unite to act as a middleman.

Contributions from individual entities should be capped, whether that entity is a person, a company or a trade union.

I don't really get what you're saying here. Capped or not, being able to buy influence is okay? So long as the money comes from someone who wants to buy the influence?

This is why our "democracy" is so ****** up.

Capping it would just mean a party who fundraised from (sold influence to) the most rich individuals would get the most funding. That would be even worse for the vast majority of us.

Terminal_Boy · 19 Apr 2015 at 14:21

delta0 said:
They all have the exactly the same backgrounds.

This. Rich kids that got the same Oxbridge PPE degree and then left to take the same media job for a year while being groomed for a minor SPaD role.

SPaD/party flunky for a year and then parachuted into a safe seat.

And thus the endless stream of faceless, clueless and spineless professional politicians the main parties inflict on us.

Glaucus · 19 Apr 2015 at 14:24

scorza said:
Difference is that Unite represent 1.4 million British workers, so that's less than £1 each. When a business donates to a political party it's normally on behalf of a small number of very wealthy shareholders.

Rofl. They represent their own goals, no one else. they are no different to an individual.
Do you really think they consult with there members on political matters.

Hilarious.