Funding from external sources a ‘big factor’ in UK politics – Taoiseach
By Jonathan McCambridge, Press Association
Funding from “external sources” has become a “big factor” in decision-making in UK politics, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
The Taoiseach said he believed there had been “insufficient analysis” of the sources of the funding.
Martin was speaking to the media at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in Dublin.
Funding is a big factor in UK politics, has been a big factor in Brexit
He spoke about “fragmentation” within Irish politics, which he said could “impair decision-making at the government level”.
Martin said: “That’s the balance. We obviously believe the stronger a government and more cohesive a government can be, the more effective, the more quickly the decisions can be taken.
“We have to work with what the electorate gives us in terms of general elections, but it is noticeable across Europe.
“Look how long it took the Dutch government to form.”
The Taoiseach said he believed the impact of “external pressures” was a trend in modern politics.
He said: “I think the more important issues, which I think people are missing in terms of the UK election, in Ireland we do have very strict frameworks governing funding of political parties, funding in between general elections as well as during general elections.
“Funding is a big factor in UK politics, has been a big factor in Brexit, and there has been insufficient analysis, in my view, of sources of all that enormous funding from external sources that is having a profound impact on the direction and the trajectory of the country.
“The United States is somewhat similar, with no limits whatsoever, which does put constraints in terms of the capacity of public representatives to make decisions.
“That is also a factor as we watch and observe politics.
“Every era politics evolves, every era brings something new.
“We are in a particular era of a lot of what I would term external pressures on political systems across Europe that we do have to be very resilient about.”
