Sir, - Tony Leavy (January 30th) has got it half right. With regard to political funding, the Green Party is the only mainstream party that neither seeks nor accepts corporate donations. The recent revelations at successive tribunals have shown that the close union between politics and business must be severed in order to restore trust among the electorate.
The funding of political parties from State funds would be one way of disentangling the present system.
It is even more worrying that, under the present administration, Mr Dempsey is intent on filling up the Fianna Fail coffers with an extra £1 million towards the next election, if his proposed amendments to the Electoral Bill are passed.
Should the Green Party be in a position to enter government at the next election (and no decision on this issue has been taken), a condition of entry would be that corporate donations to political parties would be banned. - Yours, etc.,
Cllr Mary White, Green Party Spokesperson on the Environment,Killedmond, Borris, Co Carlow.