Just 224 large donations from fewer than 60 sources accounted for two fifths of the donation income of the top three parties across a decade of British politics. This is far too narrow a base for the health of UK democracy

摘要

Why has reform of party funding in the UK been so troublesome for the body politic and steps to clean up the process so inadequate and hesitant? Using an in-depth analysis of party finances Stuart Wilks-Heeg exposes the myth that many small donors keep the major parties afloat. Instead he shows that the top three parties rely on attracting an average of just ten or eleven large donations a year between them from a tiny group of rich people, plus a few companies and large trade unions. This narrow funding base means that any shift in the attitudes or behaviour of donors might be catastrophic for all the top parties’ finances. It also raises serious fairness issues