You’d think no party would want to be seen to be opposing the Lobbying Disclosure Bill which is a move to greater transparency.
But Labour has some difficulty with the concept – it wants to exclude its mates:
4A Definition of organisation
(1) In this Act, organisation includes—
- (a) a business, trade, industry, or professional organisation whose purposes include the advancement of commercial interests:
- (b) a chamber of commerce or board of trade:
- (c) a company, partnership, trust, association, or society:
- (d) a group whose purposes include the advancement of commercial interests.
(2) For the avoidance of doubt, in this Act, organisation excludes—
- (a) a group of persons acting together to pursue objects of a national, patriotic, religious, philanthropic, charitable, scientific, artistic, social, professional, or sporting character, or other similar objects:
- (b) a trade union or labour organisation, or a group of any such entities.
Which bit of transparency does Labour not understand?
What makes people lobbying for national, patriotic, religious, philanthropic, charitable, scientific, artistic, social, professional, or sporting character, or other similar objects any better or worse than those lobbying for commercial purposes?
And why should trade unions or labour organisations be exempt from disclosure?
If Labour wants to give unions special rights and powers inside the party that is their business. But there is absolutely no reason why such organisations should be treated any differently from any other lobbyists in parliament.
Hat Tip: No Right Turn
Homepaddock 