Political parties are voluntary organisations. When their policies are deeply unpopular, people don't want to give them money. So why should we as taxpayers be forced to fund these unpopular parties? What’s democratic about being legally obliged to pay for MPs to show us contempt?
We already give too much to parliamentary parties – including union handouts to the treacherous Labour Party. We subsidise failed banks, failing companies through PFI, low-paying employers through income support and landlords through housing benefit. We’re now supposed to subsidise failed parties too! ■