Organisations getting more bang for their buck in Lisbon campaign

MONEY is usually the weapon of choice when winning people over to your point of view in matters of public concern. And while the slogans and media space that money buys may not dictate the result, it certainly helps.

It is generally accepted that the rules on donations, spending and air time the state-owned radio and TV can give are flawed. There have been promises to make changes to the most obvious issues – such a making everyone and not just registered political parties account for what they spend. But is this enough?

Contributions from bodies outside the state are banned but donations to websites for instance are difficult to trace. And what about contributions from the European Parliament?