Only seven out of 27 EU countries require political parties to reveal the identity of all their private donors, with Spain and France among the most opaque when it comes to the influence of money over politics.
As the European parliament prepares for crucial elections next week, with polls predicting a surge in the number of hard-right MEPs, the Guardian and another 25 European media partners, coordinated by the investigative platform Follow the Money, are publishing Transparency Gap, the most extensive analysis yet of party financing in bloc.
It cannot possibly be true that the people disagree with us, the proletarian vanguard. Therefore it must be false consciousness brought on by bribery.
That’s the real message here.
Which is the most right wing, the far right or the hard right?
To completely change the subject, how clever our politicians must be to parlay their meagre salaries into massive wodges of cash.
“European parliament” “crucial elections”
Why are the two things juxtaposed? Don’t they mean “rubber stamp readied”?
It would be fun to explore the correlation across the EU between opacity and hard/far rightness. My guess is that it would be contrary to the outcome the grauniad and its playmates are seeking to establish.
Which is the most right wing, the far right or the hard right?
Interesting question, given one could now reasonably describe the Tory Party as far or hard left.
Rhoda @ 7.55, reminded me of N Pelosi of US politics fame. Max salary of $175000 ish, yet has somehow managed to accumulate $190 million…..
Just curious, but have they ever described anyone as “far left”?
Bueller? Anyone?
Let’s be honest; they want to find out the names of people who donate to right-wing parties so their journalist/ activists can harass them and enable their targeting by violent leftists.
Jonathan has it.
What I would ideally like is transparency of the level of public funding for political parties. So Candidates should be flagged as ‘public sector’ sponsored with the implication that you (the voter) are paying for these clowns to campaign. Do that and obviously the greater transparency for the ‘Far Right’ can follow. I wonder if those groups backing Hamas are considered ‘Far Right’?
Georgia is currently passing a law, against huge protests, to require political and civil society groups to disclose the source of their funding.
This is being denounced by the EU, because it’s seen as an attempt by the Russian-leaning government to discredit liberal, free-market and western-leaning groups, who get American and European funding and will therefore be denounced as “foreign agents” under the new law.
See here:
https://www.cityam.com/georgia-is-on-the-frontline-in-the-battle-against-putin-style-crackdowns/
Interesting that the Guardian seems to be pushing for similar disclosures in the EU.
The laws in these opaque countries were set by the incumbent parties. Presumably for their own benefit.
More transparency would therefore work against the incumbent parties.
Not, I think, what the G had in mind.
Didn’t Twitter/X drop a similar plan to have all posts by state funded orgs to be flagged as such? IIRC its was the western govt sponsored orgs that squealed the loudest.
@RichardT
One of the countries most outspoken in opposing the Georgian “Let’s force foreign-funded lobbyists to declare that they are foreign-funded lobbyists” law is the USA.
Which has had exactly such a law since the 1930’s.
USA: It’s not hypocrisy when I do it, only when you do! Democracy means everyone does what I tell them!
Bonus is the EU has said they will exclude Georgia from EU accession if they create such a law. Win-win!
the USA…. has had exactly such a law since the 1930s.
So has the UK since around 2000. I’m a local party treasurer, I have to complete monthly returns of donations recording who the donations came from.
Passing such a law in stable and peaceful countries like UK and USA is aimed at improving political transparency. In countries like Georgia the aim is to identify which organisations the authoritarians’ bully boys should target first.
The two cases are not comparable.
BiND
Channeling Theresa May – ‘strong and stable’?
V_P,
I suppose in relative terms, yes-
It’s vitally important to ensure that we know who is funding political activities so that we can deploy the right ad hominem arguments.
It’s vitally important to ensure that we know who is funding political activities so that we can
deploy the right ad hominem arguments.assess their motives in doing so.Maybe they haven’t got our best interests at heart, if funded by those hostile/ bogeyman-of-the-month.
It’s vitally important to ensure that we know who is funding political activities so that we can monster them in the press, threaten their businesses with boycotts and malicious investigations, encourage Antifa to threaten their families, and round them up as funders of crime once we proscribe your political party.
It’s essential to protecting Are Democracy, you see.
Georgia is currently passing a law, against huge protests, to require political and civil society groups to disclose the source of their funding.
This is being denounced by the EU…
Georgia “Russian” law is virtually a copy of US 1938 “Foreign Agent” Act
More EU corruption
Slovenia: The Consequences of the Double Standards in Brussels
The EU is silent as a leftist government shuts down conservative media
Also
Police Raid European Parliaments As EU Falls Into Mayhem