Miliband's Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is the second name of every politician of whatever hue. Thus Murdoch's attempt to get back at Cameron for the Leveson Inquiry by getting the Scottish Sun to support independence and the Sunday Times sting on Peter Cruddas have been used well by Labour to exploit the Tories embarrassment at the revelations about payments for access. Frankly though Labour should watch out as the Cruddas affair has nothing on the Ecclestone one and neither does the Tory party have any donor like the Unions who expect to dictate policies they're interested in, in exchange for the huge sums of money they give to Labour. The Labour party is, always has been and is likely to continue to be the creature to a smaller or greater extent of the Unions. Frankly if I was a big donor to the Tory party I would be upset if some heavy hitter didn't thank me personally and if I was prohibited from putting forward my view on this or that subject during the conversation. There are undoubtedly exceptions but donors would not expect that the Tories would necessarily agree to carry out any policy they might suggest or indeed give it the slightest bit of notice but would be chuffed if they did so. Donations are generally made for no other reason than that donors happen to believe deeply that this country is always better off with a Tory government and they want to do as much as they can to ensure that the party is in the best possible financial position to put its policies forward. Policies do not come out of a vacuum but out of discussion and it is not necessarily politicians who have the ideas but think tanks and individuals sympathetic to their party's cause. Of course in those circumstances those at the top of the Tory party must meet with those with ideas and discuss them. We would all be much worse off if the leadership did not have contact with people with ideas whether or not they are donors. That there should be transparency is right. It is a pity that there wasn't the transparency beforehand but there is now. Why hasn't Miliband come clean about those present at the dinner Roland Rudd set up for him? Guido has a take on this here! What did I say about hypocrisy?