The LibDem Big Business Backers

 

A Green Party 2003 local elections briefing

 

 

 

Michelle Dixon

 

April 2003

 

 

 

 

Contact Green Party press office

 020 7561 0282

 press@greenparty.org.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

I.1 The Liberal democrats have claimed that green thinking is at the core of their principles. The Green Party Report Too Yellow to be Green: The environmental pretensions of the liberal democrats (1) outlined numerous discrepancies concerning the honesty of the LibDem environmental claim to fame. The party has often changed their policies to meet the occasion on big issues such as aviation and incineration and failed to apply the environmental principles that they have lectured other parties on.

 

I.2 Liberal Democrats have a reputation for doing anything to get votes. Consequently, they have been branded as incoherent in their policies (2).

The LibDems are lacking coherence in their recent election campaign, too, with the result that the public may be confused over their policy on big business backing.

 

Notes

(1) See Too Yellow to be Green, at tooyellowtobegreen

(2) “Why I can't stand those smug Liberals“, Daniel Finkelstein, The Times, 24 September 2002.

 

 

 

1. Leaflet Lies

 

1.1 In this year’s local election some LibDem leaflets are claiming that they have “no big business or trade union support”. However, under closer inspection, this claim does not hold water.

 

1.2 The Guardian’s politics funding table for the top 50 donation to the Liberal Democrats in 2001 shows that a number of big businesses gave large donations to the party in that year. At the top of the donation league table is the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust who donated a massive £207,300.00. Further down the table appears Manchester Airport plc who donated £6,748.02 closely followed by McDonalds Hamburgers Ltd who made a £6,185.20 donation (1). It appears that the only thing that the Liberal Democrats can be consistent in is their inconsistencies.

 

Notes

1) Top 50 donations to the Liberal Democrats in 2001 Guardian/partyfunding

2. The Liberal Democrats and Globalisation

 

2.1 The funding of political parties by big business means that their influence is likely to be felt in political decisions. For example, The Green Party have recently highlighted the link between donations from airport companies to political parties and the preferential treatment that the aviation industry receives from the Government (1). Independence from donations from big business means that political parties make a stand against the damaging effects and influence of globalisation. The alternative means that governments give away the rights of their citizens in favour of speculative investors and transactional corporations.

 

2.2 If the Liberal Democrats receive donations from big business, it means that they are not making a stand against uncontrolled trade which leads to social inequality, over-exploitation of natural resources and which promotes climate change.

 

2.3 The LibDems not only accept donations from big business but they also promote globalisation and the desires of big business. The party identifies not with sustainability but with liberalism (2). They want freedom for business to reduce all barriers to trade and freedom to encourage and prioritise economic growth and support the World Trade Organisation, which has attempted to liberalise international trade without sufficient social and environmental safeguards.

 

Notes

(1) See Green Party news release, 17th April, 2003, at airportdonations

(2) Liberal Democrat Policy Paper, It’s About Freedom.

 

 

 

 

ENDS

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