SHOULD political parties be funded by the taxpayer (March 21)? In my view, yes.

Political apathy among the general public is at an all-time high, as evidenced by lower and lower voting turnout at general elections.

The public needs to be engaged in the political process, both financially and, more importantly, by feeling that it is their views that are being represented in Parliament.

The current system encourages disproportionate influence by powerful individuals and organisations who are able to curry political favour by using their connections or by donating large sums of money.

In the past five years 22 people have donated £100,000 or more to the party of Government, 17 of them have been honoured.

Bernie Ecclestone's £1 million donation to Labour is another example of this. A short time after the payment was made, the legislation to ban tobacco advertising in sports was amended to carry a last-minute exemption for his Formula One racing enterprise.

Our political system should be more accountable to the electorate and less to wealthy individuals, corporations or trades unions.

Messrs Blair, Prescott and Falconer can protest their party's independence and innocence to their heart's content, but the man in the street will have an ever more sullied perception of the workings of politics.

Recent proposals to introduce state funding for political parties, combined with a reduction in the number of MPs to offset some of the costs, seem a sensible way forward.

Kevin Hollinrake,

Crayke,

York.

Updated: 09:52 Friday, March 24, 2006