Free rein for FF to boost election war chest

FIANNA FÁIL can spend unlimited sums of money on next year’s local elections, viewed as critical to Bertie Ahern’s leadership, because Martin Cullen is refusing to cap campaign expenditure.

Rejecting the necessity for a spending cap, Environment Minister Martin Cullen says the key factor in winning elections is “shoe leather and knocking on doors”, rather than money.

Yet he personally raised nearly €35,000 for his own election campaign kitty last year - by far the most political donations and almost twice as much as the next largest recipient.