The colour of money...

This piece could have been called "Booting Sian".

Anyway, I got a Green Party election address through the post last night. The usual fayre, but I read them anyway. I looked at this one. Blinked. Rubbed my eyes. Rubbed the page. Held it to the light,and in other ways checked it was real.

It was.

there on their election material was an advert.

It turned out, not one advert, but many adverts.

Cunning.

See, election law means you have to declare donatons, and spending limits (such as exist) mean that donations are controlled. But a payment at a commercial rate for an advert in a magazine that will reach millions of Londoners will not qualify as a donation.

Effectively, through advertising, the Greens have subsidised their election literature, whilst circumventing donation rules (though not spending limits). Quite how Green Party activists feel about being used in this commercial adventure is anyone's guess.

What's interesting, though, is how this emeshes the Green Party with the "green pound" industry and turns it into the political wing representing those economic interests. Especially as they promise to promote "small business" against the "multinationals" - I wonder which small businesses?

Just another capitalist party...greens mean business.