SF call to limit political donations

A limit should be placed on the size of political donations to Northern Ireland parties, the Electoral Commission is due to hear today.

Sinn Féin Assembly member Francie Molloy said his party would be pressing for a fairer system of political funding when the Electoral Commission holds its first public hearing in Belfast today on the issue.

The Mid Ulster MLA said Sinn Féin would also raise its concern about “British government interference in the electoral and democratic process”.

Mr Molloy said: “There are currently very serious concerns about the conduct of the electoral process in the Six Counties and the negative influence which the British government have exerted over it in recent years.

“Since the Good Friday Agreement, the British government have made four separate interventions to undermine the electoral and democratic process.

“They have suspended the political institutions; established with the Irish Government the Independent Monitoring Commission as an institutional camouflage for excluding Sinn Féin from the political process and are now actively considering that option.

“They have also disenfranchised over 200,000 voters in an attempt to get an electorate which suits them and have discriminated in favour of the SDLP to the tune of £200,000 (€295,100) of public money and against Sinn Féin in an attempt to help the SDLP’s election fortunes in the allocation of policy development grants.

“In short, they have created and sustained an unlevel electoral playing field.”

The Electoral Commission was due to receive evidence from several political parties throughout today on the issue of funding.

Sinn Féin is due to suggest that all donations to the political parties are recorded and that all anonymous donations be limited to just £50 (€73.80).

Mr Molloy said Sinn Féin believed Irish citizens living abroad should be allowed to fund the party of their choice at home.

But he added: “A cap or limit on the size of donations should be agreed as a result of discussions between the political parties.

“Sinn Féin is broadly in favour of state funding for political parties, as long as it is administered on the basis of equality.

“Properly regulated state funding will have the effect of preventing undue influence over the political process by corporate bodies and lobbyists.”