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Political party funding by business:
Time for transparency
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Below is a model motion for any party wishing to provide
transparency at the point of purchase for voters and consumers who wish to know
whether the company from which they are about to buy also funds any political party.
This motion quite specifically restricts itself to parties with MPs in the
House of Commons. If a company makes no party political donations, then there would be no need, under this proposal, for any extra labelling. |
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Model party motion on political donations by businesses
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Conference notes: |
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that donations are made to the Conservative party or to one of its front or associated organisations by hundreds of companies.
that the largest known single corporate donation in this country was a 1996 gift of £214,891 by Yorkshire property group the Paul Sykes Group to the Conservative party.
that business political donor information is difficult to gather, unavailable to the man in the street and that those lists which have been compiled are by no means exhaustive.
previous legislation to allow trades unionists to know about and opt-out of political donations made by their unions. |
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Conference believes that in a free and democratic society, information about all political funding should be readily available to the individual.
Conference resolves:
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1) |
that there should be legislation in the next parliament governing donations to all political parties represented in the House of Commons and that this legislation should impose separate obligations of disclosure on both the donors and the recipient political parties: |
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In respect of the donors, Conference resolves:
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2) |
that details of all donations of over £500 in cash or kind to a political party or any of its associated organisations during the previous financial year should be subject to disclosure by the donor to the Registrar of a new central registry; and
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3) |
so that consumers will be alerted to such donations, the size of such donations (including those made by parent or holding companies) and the relevant recipient political party name should be printed legibly on products and on all communications (if any) bearing the donors name, logo or other identification mark including (but not by way of limitation) the following: |
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A) | All packaging |
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B) | Rebadged products from third party "political donor" manufacturers and sold by retailers as 'own brand' or 'own label' products |
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C) | Office stationery and letterheads |
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D) | Faxes, fax cover sheets and company EMail |
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E) | Statements containing terms of business |
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F) | Letters of appointment |
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G) | Policies and certificates |
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H) | Invoices |
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I) | Till receipts |
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J) | Advertisements in all media including printed, electronic and other |
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K) | Membership cards |
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L) | Prospectuses, sales brochures, direct mail, house magazines and other publications |
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M) | Tickets |
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N) | Cheque books, credit, debit, charge and other cards issued to customers
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4) |
that the central register should be available on request and held for public inspection by all local authorities, major libraries and on the Internet.
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that legislation to achieve this should cover: |
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all individuals, and all organisations be they companies, firms, partnerships established for business purposes either based or trading in the UK; or |
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with any premises in the UK; or |
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with products or services retailed in the UK; or |
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with products or services retailed to UK companies; or |
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to companies, firms and other businesses trading with companies, firms and other businesses in the UK.
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that in all the above, subsidiaries must list those donations made by parent and holding companies, and in all cases the information so disclosed must be published as a separate head in the annual report and accounts for the benefit of shareholders.
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In respect of the recipient political parties:
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7) | that where the recipient is a political party represented in the House of Commons or an associated or front organisation it must maintain a publicly available list of all donations over £500 in cash or kind from whatever source (including private persons whether UK resident or not) to include names and addresses of donors and the sum donated on each occasion of a donation during every financial year. This too must be lodged with the Registrar. |
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Further:
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8) |
Conference also resolves that all shareholders in all companies as defined above (5), and members of all company pension schemes etcetera similarly established within the UK must individually agree the payment of any corporate political donations prior to any effective donations for such purpose from their individual investment income per share or from what other means by which they receive payment from the aforementioned bodies.
Such permission is to be obtained in writing and renewed each year by completion and return of authority forms accompanying mailed company accounts.
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