Loans and Groans
From Dennis Cooper :Good questions from Anne Palmer. And why do we have to wait for annual accounts to find out who tried to buy influence and/or a title? Any large payment to a political party should be declared the same day it’s received. But I also agree
with the next letter: “Buying a peerage is purchasing a vote in the Lords, and that is the real scandal” and that from
Hurford-Jones (even though he’s European Movement) “Isn’t it time we became a true democracy and only allowed elected
persons to vote on our legislation?”.
Telegraph Letters
Prime Minister must start being more transparent
Sir - Tony Blair has been caught yet again doing something underhand, by accepting loans for nominations to the House of
Lords (News, March 17). He now wants to hide behind the anonymity promised to the donors. Fine - let him declare the
total amount loaned each year without disclosing the donors.
He made the policy to create transparency, then circumvented it. Mr Blair has a moral obligation to follow the spirit
and letter of the policy.
Let us now see if our Prime Minister has an ounce of honesty left. If he does he will make this information public.
R. Scott-Watson, Fairfield, Worcs
Sir - Patricia Hewitt said on the Today programme that the existence of millions of pounds worth of loans to the Labour
Party would have been clear from its accounts for the financial year.
This raises two questions that Labour has to answer: first, were any loans to Labour during the previous financial year
disclosed in the relevant accounts; and second, if the treasurer is unaware of the loans, how would they get into the
accounts?
Martin Johnson, Pathhead, Midlothian
Sir - After all the goings-on in Parliament this week, why should any of us vote for any MP ever again? I personally
would not use my vote again even if voting were made compulsory.
What has happened to the money that has been “loaned” to this Government that even the treasurer does not know about?
Where has it gone to? Who is holding it? When will it be paid back?
Anne Palmer, Wolverhampton
Sir - Buying a knighthood may be distasteful but it doesn’t harm anybody. Buying a peerage is purchasing a vote in the
Lords, and that is the real scandal.
Alan Broad, Headington, Oxford
Sir - It is disturbing that Mr Blair has the brass neck to consider changing the honours system. With his credentials,
he should be allowed nowhere near it.
As he covertly prepares to leave by the back door, we should remember the words of the wary host who said: “The more he
spoke of his honour, the faster we counted our spoons.”
Lance Warrington, Northleach, Glos
Sir - Until recently, one had to be born into a certain family to be able to vote on legislation in the Upper House. Now
it seems that you can get there if you have sufficient money to buy a place. Isn’t it time we became a true democracy
and only allowed elected persons to vote on our legislation?
David Hurford-Jones, Chipping Norton, Oxon
Sir - Under Labour, it is not ok to buy selective private education, but perfectly ok to buy a peerage.
Arun Ahluwalia, London W5
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