The cost of democracy : party funding in modern British politics / K. D. Ewing

• Autore: Ewing K. D (Keith D.)
• Pubblicazione: Oxford ; Portland, Ore., : Hart Publishing, 2007
• Edizione: 1st ed.
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (294 p.)
• Disciplina: 324.241/011
• Soggetto topico: Campaign funds - Great Britain; Campaign funds - Law and legislation - Great Britain; Political parties - Great Britain
• Soggetto geografico: Great Britain Politics and government 1997-
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index
• Nota di contenuto: Preface -- 1 A Drama Unfolds -- Introduction -- The Conservative Funding Legacy -- The 'Arms Race' -- The Labour Party's Response -- Questions for the Labour Party -- The Ecclestone Affair -- The Neill Committee -- Conclusion -- 2 Regulatory Objectives -- The Prevention of Corruption and Conflicts of Interest -- Equality of Opportunity and Fair Competition for Political Office -- A Need to Ensure that Political Parties are Adequately Funded -- Promoting Citizen Participation in the Funding of Political Parties -- Respect for the Nature and Diversity of Party Structure -- The Protection of Human Rights -- Conclusion -- 3 Regulatory Methods -- Introduction -- Transparency and Disclosure -- Contribution Controls -- Spending Controls -- State Aid and Public Funding -- Self-Regulation or State Regulation? -- Supervision and Enforcement -- Conclusion -- 4 Party Autonomy and Public Accountability -- Introduction -- Diversity of Party Structure -- The Principle of Party Autonomy -- Autonomy of Party Organisation: The Role of Legislation -- Autonomy and Legality -- From Autonomy to Accountability: Registration and Party Identity -- State Supervision: Registration and Financial Accountability -- Conclusion -- 5 Donations to Political Parties: The Regulatory Framework -- Introduction -- Disclosure and Corruption -- Who May Donate to Political Parties? -- The Mechanics of Reporting and Disclosure -- Who Does Donate to Political Parties? -- The Problem of Avoidance -- Loopholes in the Regulatory Framework -- Conclusion -- 6 From 'Sleaze' to 'High-Value Donors' to Loans -- Introduction -- 'Sleaze': The Continuing Problem of Political Donations -- The Labour Party's Response -- 'High-Value Donors': The Labour Party -- 'High-Value Donors': The Conservative Party -- The Loans Affair: A New Problem Erupts -- Implications and Consequences of the Loans Affair -- Conclusion -- 7 Spending Limits in Election Campaigns -- Regulatory Challenges -- The Victorian Legacy: Candidate Limits -- The Problem of Third Parties -- Spending Limits on Political Parties -- Calculating and Enforcing the Limit -- Spending Limits and Third Parties -- Spending Limits in Practice - The First Cycle -- The General Election 2005 -- Conclusion -- 8 The Role of the State: Supporting Candidates and Political Parties -- Introduction -- Regulatory Challenges -- Responsibility of the State -- Meeting the State's Responsibility -- Party Political Broadcasts: Transferring the State's Obligations -- New Forms of State Support -- Proposals for Additional State Support -- Reluctance and Resistance to Change -- Tax Relief - A False Trail -- Conclusion -- 9 Lessons from Canada -- Introduction -- Political Parties in Canada -- The Election Expenses Act 1974 -- The Parties and their Funds -- Bill C-24, Political Donations and State Funding -- The Impact of Bill C-24 -- Bill C-24 and Party Structure -- Conclusion -- 10 Building on PPERA -- Introduction -- The Next Step - Regulatory Objectives -- The Problems with Contribution Limits -- Donations - Let the Members Decide -- A Focus on Spending -- State Aid: Building on the British Model? -- Making a Fresh Start - Back to Houghton -- Qualifying Conditions for State Support -- Promoting Democracy: A Quid Pro Quo -- Conclusion -- Appendices -- Appendix 1: Exchange of Letters between the Labour Party and Sir Patrick Neill QC -- Appendix 2: Annual Accounts of the Political Parties -- Appendix 3: The Structure of the Labour Party -- Appendix 4: From Election Funding to Political Funding in Germany -- Appendix 5: State Funding in Sweden - Party Autonomy and Public Funding
• Sommario/riassunto: Party funding has given rise to great controversy since 1997, and continues to do so. In recent years, row has followed row - from million-pound donations, to the so-called 'loans for peerages' affair. The question was the subject of an official investigation by Sir Hayden Phillips, whose blueprint for reform was produced in March 2007. This book charts the evolution of the party funding problem in recent years and explores the weaknesses of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, which was enacted in a vain attempt to clean up British politics. The book sets out a number of core principles which should inform the development of public policy in this field, and examines the different strategies for the implementation of these principles. Having regard to the experience of othercountries, including Canada, Germany and Sweden, a radical framework ofreform is proposed, designed to address the emerging crisis of party government with serious implications for democracy itself. The main concern is with the development of bold reform initiatives to encourage political parties to recruit and retain members, and give members rights in relation to the government and administration of these parties. This thoughtful yet hard-hitting account by one of the leading scholars in the field will be of interest to constitutional lawyers and political scientists, as well as journalists and those with an interest in the way we are governed
• Titolo autorizzato: The cost of democracy
• ISBN: 1-4725-6004-3; 1-281-08276-7; 9786611082765; 1-84731-354-X
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910784718103321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II