Cleaning Up Politics
Good - about time too - because there's much that's still wrong with our system - not least that our politicians make up the rules to suit themsleves.
The CSPL report recommends a cap on individual donations of £10,000 - from 2015 - as a way of reducing the political parties reliance on 'big money' donations.
In return, political parties would get an extra £23 million of taxpayers money - on top of the public funds they already get - so the principle of limited public funding is already well established.
The question is - does a limited injection of additional public money prevent abuse - by encouraging our political system to operate more honestly and transparently?
The CSPL believes that £23 million is a reasonable price to pay - to prevent big private donors using their financial muscle to buy political influence.
And as that comes from an Independent Committee - which helped clean up the MPs' expenses scandal - then it's good enough for me - money well spent in my view compared to lots of other things public money is wasted on.
In addition to the donations cap - trade union members in future will have to positively "opt in" to paying a political levy to the Labour party - if the CSPL gets its way.
As they do already in Northern Ireland - of course.
Im future there would be no more political funds ballots - in which less than 10% of the members participate - yet the outcome of such ballots affect every single member.
I heard someone on the TV arguing the other day:
'Trade union members can already opt out of paying the political levy, if they want to - so what's the problem?'
The problem is they should have to jump through unnecessary hoops to stop paying a political levy - filling out forms and writing letters to Head Office - and claiming money back.
What's wrong with asking union members on an individual basis if they want to donate money to a political party?
And if they do - then which one should get their dosh.
In other walks of life that's called freedom of choice - and it seems to be quite popular - as far as I can tell.
Because the bottom line is that there's no good reason for the choice of trade union members to be restricted to the Labour party - and no one else.
Sometimes politics is a dirty old business - but it's one that affects all our lives.
And cleaning up the stables is far too important a task - to allow politicians make up the rules - to suit themselves.
