Red-Handed fat cat political donor UK party political donations © Matt Buck Hack Cartoons

Hack Cartoons archive illustration on what political party fundraising types (of all sorts) tend to do.

Caution: Contextual information down below.

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Politics is about interests of groups and individuals. The expression of disagreement about these interests comes out in political thought and action and in the UK it is channelled through the established political parties, Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat.

Clashes of interest are usually over distribution of resources and this tends to occur between working people, who generally provide work or labour in return for wages, and owners, who possess assets which may include the offer of a job. It is this basic relationship which provided the platform for the eventual establishment of the three major political parties in the UK.

If you add time and money and mix, you produce entertaining and informative results. These often include enlightening observations about human behaviour in pursuit of power and a free lunch.

This may help explain some of the recent news obsession with Lord Michael Ashcroft and the Unite union because both of them are the major paymasters for the Conservative and Labour parties.

Reading: BBC Q&A on party political funding

Reading: Wikipedia on party political funding

Reading: Sir Hayden Phillips Review of UK party political funding