If Lloyds HBOS gave money to Labour
Thursday, August 13, 2009It might end up with a few broken windows, and certainly the loss of some business (1).
However, the Finns do things differently, as only now has the issue of donations to political parties by state-controlled companies become a live issue in those parts:
"Finland’s political parties would lose an important source of income if companies in which the state has a majority shareholding were banned from contributing to political parties. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) said on Tuesday that he feels that it is not appropriate for such companies to take part in financing political activities".
The sums involved are verging on the pitiful: "The [Centre] party says that it has received about EUR 20,000 from companies with a majority state holding between 2006 and 2009...Coming in second is the Social Democratic Party, which has received more than EUR 20,000 from state-owned companies, including both contributions to the party in general and for individual SDP candidates".
It turns out that the funding is mainly from companies buying tickets to seminars, but even so.
(1) I continue my one-man boycott of the Co-Op in all its forms, and occasionally get the opportunity to aver to some greenhorn, 'If you shop there, you may as well just fork over money to the Labour party right now.'
My Ma, otherwise thoroughly sound, would sometimes have to make use of a Co-Op in the nearest town, it being the only supermarket in those parts. So far so not very interesting, but she would then decant the marmalade or whatever in order to disguise her dealings from my father. This would have been to avoid a lecture, rather than anything worse, I hasten to add.
However, the Finns do things differently, as only now has the issue of donations to political parties by state-controlled companies become a live issue in those parts:
"Finland’s political parties would lose an important source of income if companies in which the state has a majority shareholding were banned from contributing to political parties. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) said on Tuesday that he feels that it is not appropriate for such companies to take part in financing political activities".
The sums involved are verging on the pitiful: "The [Centre] party says that it has received about EUR 20,000 from companies with a majority state holding between 2006 and 2009...Coming in second is the Social Democratic Party, which has received more than EUR 20,000 from state-owned companies, including both contributions to the party in general and for individual SDP candidates".
It turns out that the funding is mainly from companies buying tickets to seminars, but even so.
(1) I continue my one-man boycott of the Co-Op in all its forms, and occasionally get the opportunity to aver to some greenhorn, 'If you shop there, you may as well just fork over money to the Labour party right now.'
My Ma, otherwise thoroughly sound, would sometimes have to make use of a Co-Op in the nearest town, it being the only supermarket in those parts. So far so not very interesting, but she would then decant the marmalade or whatever in order to disguise her dealings from my father. This would have been to avoid a lecture, rather than anything worse, I hasten to add.
Labels: Finland, they do things differently in....
