Political donations - The law is ineffectual

If ever there was proof of the need for tighter controls over political donations, it is the web of obfuscation that surrounds the prevailing system in this country.

In yesterday’s Irish Examiner, readers saw how neither Fine Gael nor Labour declared a single political donation last year despite spending millions on elections. Today the spotlight is on political donations that slipped under the radar, thanks to ineffective reporting laws.

According to the Standards in Public Office Commission, the law regarding donations is ineffective. This scenario is completely unacceptable and makes a mockery of so-called reforms which have failed to police a dodgy system of financial support for political parties.