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From
July 29, 2007
Plan to let charities become political
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Charities have already become political, if not openly party-political. One unintended result is that donors are beginning to scrutinise more carefully the policies of registered charities to which they might otherwise have given with less thought.
To allow charities to be openly political will accelerate this process and risks drying up funds for genuinely worthy causes.
It is also (like loans instead of gifts) a way round funding rules. If (say) a charity established to help pensioners were to campaign in parallel with the Tory party (without declaring allegiance) against Brown's sequestration of pension funds, in effect the Tories would benefit from extra unaccountable election spending. It would be hard to prove collusion, and by the time the case came to court the election would anyway be a fait accompli, months or years in the past.
This is a deeply corrupt idea, and is to be resisted.
Michael Bruce, Selby, Yorkshire
Brown is no fool. He clealy recognises the unpopularity of funding political parties from taxpayers' pockets (much as he likes to think of it as his own to do with how he pleases) and is trying to broaden the net to support his own failing party funds.
Perhaps he plans a whip round amongst his own supporters and to ask the Smith Institute to surrepticiously pass around the collection plate. This would avoid the inconvenience of having to describe funds received as loans and simultaneously remove any direct link between donations and ermine.
Edwin Thornber, Bucharest,
Great! More minority groups squabbling and fighting for their own way.
Judy , Liverpool, england
Charities should be free to make representations to politicians and the Government as a whole in furtherance of their recognised charitable aims, but charities should not become political. If the proposed changes would authorise activities such as the claimed link between the Smith Institute and Mr. Brown's office they should be opposed. Charities should work for the benefit of the community generally and therefore interact with all political parties to further the aims for which they have been established.
laurie, Tunbridge Wells,