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Pain for Hain

Nick
10 Jan 08, 07:44 PM

Peter Hain has now met with the Electoral Commission (see blogs previous) and provided it with information about donations made to his Labour deputy leadership campaign. We await word from him about the size of the donations and the identities of those who gave.

Just "severe embarrassment" ...

Nick
10 Jan 08, 05:50 PM

I suggested earlier that all Peter Hain had to fear was severe embarrassment (unless, of course, there is something illegal or compromising hidden in the accounts we are still waiting for him to publish). Let me explain why.

Extraordinarily the Electoral Commission has no powers to penalise individuals or parties for failing to fully declare donations. The Act (PPERA 2000) which established the law on political funding sets out an escalating series of fines for the late submission of accounts but it does not make any provision for late declarations of donations themselves. Indeed, the Commission is lobbying to be given new powers and what it calls a "a more proportionate and flexible sanctions regime" in any new party funding legislation.

So, what Peter Hain must now fear is :

• being dumped by Gordon Brown - although there is no sign of that at all.

• being criticised by the Electoral Commission

• being criticised by the new Standards Watchdog, Sir Christopher Kelly, who today told MPs that his Committee on Standards in Public Life would "see whether or not there are lessons to be learned from the experience. I would guess... that the committee would be concerned that even now not everyone appears to have understood the importance of being absolutely transparent about political donations".

• having every one of the donors he eventually reveals being scrutinised by the media. That, of course, could change everything...

Clear breach of the rules

Nick
10 Jan 08, 01:31 PM

It was the scandal over secret donations to the Labour party which made all politicians - and the media - look long and hard for other breaches of the rules.

At that time the cabinet minister Peter Hain publicly that he'd failed to declare a donation to his campaign to become Gordon Brown's deputy from one of those involved in that scandal - the party's chief fundraiser Jon Mendelsohn. He went on to admit that there were other donations he'd failed to declare.

Now, after weeks of going back through the paperwork he has identified a series of donations adding up to around 拢100,000 - the details of which he'll publish and give to the Electoral Commission.

Mr Hain's defence of this clear breach of the rules looks set to be to admit to a serious cock-up but to insist that since he came clean and has taken no donations from foreigners and no "Abrahams" style donations (via third parties) his only punishment should be severe embarrassment.

Maybe I don't get it...

Nick
10 Jan 08, 10:14 AM

My suggestion yesterday that "those who insist that there cannot be any read across from the votes of small American states to British politics will be ignored because they simply don't get it" has outraged enough people to affect the result in Michigan (sorry, there I go again).

Here's my brief riposte

1. The next president may well determine if not decide when Britain next goes to war.

2. The economic policies of the next president will have a crucial influence on our economy.

3. The American elections are a gigantic testing lab for policies, political messages, campaign techniques and polling which will, as they have in the past, feed through into British politics.

Still not convinced? You are not alone as you'll find if you listen to this amusing discussion on the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning.

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