Intelligence Squared Dark Money and Dirty Politics, with Peter Geoghegan and Nick Cohen
Aug 25, 2020
Peter Geoghegan, Investigations Editor at Open Democracy and author of 'Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics', joins Nick Cohen, Observer columnist, to tackle the troubling issue of dark money in politics. They delve into how secretive funding undermines democracy, spotlighting the influence of Russian meddling in Brexit and outdated regulations. The duo discusses the urgent need for reforms to enhance transparency and accountability, and explores the implications of union funding on political dynamics in the UK. It's a captivating look at the intersection of money and politics.
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Broken Spending Rules
- British political spending rules are so tight that almost nobody follows them.
- No one has been convicted of breaking spending rules at a general election in roughly 100 years.
Digital Imprint Discrepancy
- Politicians' leaflets require imprints disclosing funding and printing information.
- Equivalent targeted ads on Facebook lack these disclosures, revealing a loophole in regulations.
Think Tanks as Corporate Lobbyists
- Corporations and individuals fund seemingly independent think tanks to shape political discourse.
- These groups, often charities, offer plausible deniability to their backers and promote agendas through media appearances and reports.
