Pornography

[tinyjo]

Once again, they're talking about Richard Desmonds donation to the Labour Party and I notice that there seems to be an assumption that pornography is a bad thing. Now I am not at all sure about this. I recognize that it can be exploitative but it isn't necessarily. Nor is it necessarily unhealthy - I tend to think of it as an aid to fantisizing for the unimaginative. Its not illegal so why should we not accept this donation as just another one from a business man?

Comments

[andypop.livejournal.com]

They're just looking for another reason to slag off the New Labour...

I don't care what he publishes, I care that he & others are allowed to donate at all. It's time political parties stopped being funded this way...

[jinty]

??? How else are they to be funded? Private millionaires that are also MPs? Dipping into the public purse? Winning the lottery? Surely it's just a larger-scale version of people paying their memberships to the party of their choice. So long as there's enough policing of proper disclosure, any clash of interests, etc...

Re:

[andypop.livejournal.com]

There is actually discussion of public funding for political parties going on currently - even in the States, I gather. But what do they need all this money for anyway? Give 'em five minutes on telly to tell us to vote for them, supply them with a small office and a few pencils and they should be happy with that, the bastards. Let them survive on memberships!!!

Seriously, the donation system is just inevitably going to lead to corruption. Let them eat breadcrumbs.