LABOUR councillor Nigel Dix’s letter on union donations rightly slates the Tories’ donations from wealthier people and company owners.

We should also look at Labour’s chequered past on donations, just to refresh our memories.


Back in 1997, Labour accepted a £1m donation from Bernie Eccleston. In 2001, Lord Drayson gave the Labour party over £2m and was made a life peer. In 2002, Tony Blair told the BBC “If someone is fit and proper to own one of the major newspaper groups in the country, there is no reason why we shouldn’t accept donations from them”. Then who can forget the Labour loans for lordship scandal.


Lastly, Labour created a union modernisation fund, a vehicle for the Labour government to give £10m of tapayers money to the unions over three years. What chance has a non-union candidate got up against a union member? Answer; none.


Labour candidates would be cut from the same cloth and there would be no variety in their selection process. If the unions want to field candidates, they should start a new party. As New Labour have moved to the right, to help them get elected in the south-east of England.
Andrew Nutt,
Heolddu Road, Bargoed