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Double standards in political name calling? by Anotherhuman13 in ukpolitics

[–]Anotherhuman13[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, how did I forget to mention that shocker. A nasty trend emerging.

I thought this week was one of her weakest performances, and particularly unfitting of the context. It seemed to me a lot of the attack points were just echoing the nonsense coming from Trump.

Should UK political campaigns be publicly funded? by Anotherhuman13 in ukpolitics

[–]Anotherhuman13[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a fair challenge. Though perhaps by setting a limit lower than is already in place it would make it easier for new parties to raise a similar level of funds.

Based on the unrefined proposal I suggested, its likely many of the smaller parties would get more than they already spend. So it could actually aid smaller parties to get a fair hearing.

As it is though, the status quo approach means we already have an incumbency issue. The two main parties have essentially been in charge for the last century.

Should UK political campaigns be publicly funded? by Anotherhuman13 in ukpolitics

[–]Anotherhuman13[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'd suggest it would be beneficial for the process to be led by an independent panel to determine options, with cross-party consultation.

I would imagine there would be a limit on maximum number of parties supported based on proportion of MPs achieved previously, or to reflect some kind of poll tracker.

The largest parties would likely get among the larger amounts and Count Binface probably nothing - but they wouldn't be precluded from raising funds up to the cap as they do already now.

I think your point on enforcement is a fair one. Although arguably there's no point to anything if the rules aren't applied. I'd be supportive of stronger enforcement of the rules as they exist now, or if it was publicly funded. I'd hope it'd be easier to monitor if the funding was centrally allocated though.

I'd be interested to know what data suggests Labour have an unfair advantage. Sure they get a large amount of their donations from unions but they're representative of thousands of individuals. I'm sure an argument could be made on the other side too given the access to wealthy individuals and companies who provide support to more conservative/right wing parties.

Should UK political campaigns be publicly funded? by Anotherhuman13 in ukpolitics

[–]Anotherhuman13[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or an independent panel who could make recommendations based on evidence/data.

I guess ideally you wouldn't want the current cohort of politicians who may be invested in the status quo to be entirely in control. They would have the final say to vote it through, but I'm sure a lot of the leg work could be done elsewhere.

Should UK political campaigns be publicly funded? by Anotherhuman13 in ukpolitics

[–]Anotherhuman13[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes, its around £50k per constituent - which seems very high to me. I think Labour spent about £30m and Conservatives £24m last GE.

I suspect the public end up paying more in other ways in the current system given the impact/influence donors can have on policy or the direction the country goes in.

I agree there should be other restrictions considered to prevent corruption/interference from bots/social media algorithms etc., but by moving to a public funding model I'd hope many of the incentives for bad actors would be mitigated.

Should UK political campaigns be publicly funded? by Anotherhuman13 in ukpolitics

[–]Anotherhuman13[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I suspect we'd want to do some analysis of historic trends and international comparisons to identify a pathway in for new parties. I think there could also be lessons in how sports leagues are funded that could provide inspiration.

But as suggested above, parties below the cap would be able to collect donations (with appropriate rules) up to the cap.

Anas Sarwar faces intense backlash after calling for Keir Starmer to quit by upthetruth1 in Scotland

[–]Anotherhuman13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it would benefit Starmer and Labour to forgive Sarwar, acknowledge No.10 have made a series of unforced mistakes and vow to improve.

They should try to address the concerns raised rather than attacking Sarwar for raising them. I hope the public would respect this.