The Financial Affairs of the Political Parties

Abstract

Money is of crucial importance to the election campaigning efforts of the political parties. Not only are there the permanent costs involved in maintaining the central and regional party organisations, but modern methods of political campaigning and election propaganda have become increasingly expensive. Fighting a successful general election campaign in the late twentieth century means spending huge amounts of money on matters ranging from employing the best public relations and marketing agencies, to buying massive quantities of advertising space in the national press and on public billboards, to hiring top film directors and camera crews in the production of party election broadcasts. Political parties in the United Kingdom derive the finance for their work outside Parliament, including that used for their election campaigning expenses, almost exclusively from membership fees and voluntary donations. Clearly, a party which is better funded than its rivals has a considerable advantage at general elections. The more money a political party has at its disposal, the more staff can be hired in organising and administering the election campaign; more and better office facilities and technology can be used in planning the campaign and for special electioneering efforts such as direct-mail canvassing; more and better advertising space can be bought; more and better public relations, marketing, advertising and media agencies and staff can be hired; and more and better transport and communications systems can be used to advantage during the election campaign.KeywordsPolitical PartyTrade UnionElectoral SystemElection CampaignLabour PartyThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.