For security reasons... - 2 comments

Having been given the chance to take (or rather, join) the moral high ground by declaring the names of people who have lent the party money, and the sums involved, the Tories have decided not to join Labour and the Liberal Democrats in doing so, claiming that they:

fear that ministers would be malicious and that public sector work that their businesses have might be affected unfairly.

This is no doubt music to the ears of those blogosphere-dwellers whose hatred of the government has twisted them into paranoia, but it's also a convenient evasion, which I can't believe the general public will accept.

The priority at the moment is that, with the bar having been raised, the Conservatives make all necessary efforts to reveal who, financially, is greasing their wheels. As I've argued before, money is not the only factor, and patronage and 'influence' will continue to be granted and accepted in all sorts of other ways that the public will never see. But it's still the 'correct' thing to do, is a useful start, and - however painful and embarrassing it would no doubt prove to be - the Conservatives will feel better for having done it.

If Ministers really penalised Tory lenders' businesses for such petty reasons, it must be revealed - it just sounds like a pathetic excuse.

According to a Tory spokesman:

"In respect of past loans, these have been audited and fully comply with Electoral Commission rules but it would not be fair to apply new rules retrospectively - especially without the agreement of the people who made the loans."

A high moral principle? Unfortunately for those individuals who lent anonymously, the need for accountability is a greater concern, and it was surely only a matter of time before the curtain was lifted.