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Without significant revision, the government's proposals for a statutory register of lobbyists will serve only to entrench cynicism about the close ties between government and the worst forms of crony capitalism.
David Cameron's self-imposed deadline of publishing the government's proposals for a statutory register of lobbying activity has now been missed.
Unlock Democracy has welcomed the publication of the Committee on Standards in Public Life's report on the funding of political parties but has warned political parties not to use opposition to expanding state funding of political parties as an excuse to block the opportunity to clean up politics by introducing a cap on donations. In response to claims that expanding state funding of political parties cannot be afforded at this time, Unlock Democracy has called for the government to scrap its plans to introduce expensive elected police commissioner elections next year, which the report itself notes will cost roughly the same amount.
Occupy London has played a crucial role in highlighting the importance of democratic reform of the Corporation of London.
A case can be made that if a donations cap is set at a low level, for example £10,000 per organisation or individual per year, that public money may be required to make up the shortfall. That is up for negotiation; the need for a cap on donations however is not.
Scrapping the 2014 canvass alongside the legal duty for people to register represents a double-whammy and will lead to millions of people to fall off the register. Combine this with the new rolling boundary review rules and it will mean that many people on the margins of society will be disenfranchised in the 2020 general election.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life have published a new poll today outlining widespread mistrust amongst the public towards major donors to political parties.
Any solution that deals only with the constitutional anomaly, but does not address the need to devolve real power from Westminster to the people and communities of England may be a worthy tidying up exercise but will not address the fundamental problem.
A growing number of people have cosigned a letter to Assistant Police Commissioner Cressida Dick asking for clarification of the role of Operation Weeting and Operation Tuleta, and calling for the Metropolitan Police to widen their investigation to all reported incidences of illegal media intrusion.