Our system is full of loopholes and vulnerable to millionaires’ and plutocrats’ demands. Voters simply need clean, fair politics
There’s a sensible rule in British politics: it should not be funded by foreign donors. Democracy is meaningless if a country isn’t run at the behest of its people. But the rule is riddled with loopholes. Those who have done the most to keep them open are those who most loudly assert their patriotism. Noisy “patriots” are always the first to sell us out to offshore capital.
Here are some of the tricks they use. One is the “unincorporated association”. This refers to groups that don’t have to open business bank accounts, file financial statements, register with any official body or even give themselves a name. They’re as transparent as the Berlin Wall on a cloudy day. Astonishingly, these associations are a legal channel for campaign finance in the United Kingdom.
George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist. Join him for a Guardian Live online event on Wednesday 8 May at 8pm BST. He will be talking about his new book, The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism. Book tickets here
