You can tell that I am a Daily Telegraph reader, as I am prone to shaking my head sadly and bemoaning the state of politics in Britain. The fact is that things were better when those in parliament gained their money from non-political routes: when they were of independent means.
Tony Blair admits that £14.5 million were smuggled into the Labour party as "loans", in order to avoid the need to publicise who the donors were. This was done to get around the legislation that he himself had brought in earlier in his government. In return, the donors - sorry, lenders - were to be given peerages, although that has been blocked now that the story is out. How I detest that sanctimonious liar.
The loans route seems, if anything, far more of a case for public scrutiny, You give me 14.5 million pounds in donations and I will be grateful to you. I may even make a special effort to grant you the odd hearing. But you have nothing over me.
If you lend me 14.5 million pounds? Well, that is a different story. And if, like the Labour party, I have no real means of paying it back, then you can write your own policy documents. Consider my cap doffed.