ideological sophistry.

Still, surely you can see the flaws in your rationalising, Graham ..?

..perhaps not

Political donations corrupt democracy in ways you might not realise
· Warwick Smith 11 September 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/11/political-donations-corrupt-democracy-in-ways-you-might-not-realise
Corporations don’t give their money away for nothing. There is an understanding (rarely made explicit) that large campaign donations buy political access and favourable consideration in policy development and legislation. Why else would a corporation, which is bound by law to pursue profits, make these donations?
Interestingly, many businesses give money to both sides of the narrow political divide; sometimes different amounts, sometimes exactly the same amount.
When both major parties have the same policy on an issue, it effectively removes that issue from democratic scrutiny. This is the aim of many political donations from businesses who stand to lose from policy changes that would be popular with the electorate.
Donating equally to both sides is clearly not about helping one side win. It’s an implied threat: “if you don’t treat us well we’ll give you less and they’ll be ahead

Not suicidal at all Hasbeen. What would be suicidal would be to sit back and allow the Green Left to stop legitimate fundraising so as to advantage their own side of the argument. It is significant that when it comes to "money politics" they never mention the elephant in the room which is how the unions, many of which are corrupt through and through and run by tiny cabals, own the major left-wing party in Australia via their donations.

Unlike corporate donors who generally only come in to support policies that have already been decided, the unions get the majority of votes in the Labor Party and determine policy in advance. The corrupt Gillard government abolished the Australian Building and Construction Commission just so as the CFMEU, one of its major financial backers, could have its head. We're seeing the sort of organisation it is in the Royal Commission at the moment.

The idea that people running for office should just receive only money doled out by the government is ridiculous. That isn't democracy in any way shape or form and would turn politicians into functionaries. It would make it harder to fund campaigns to counter institutionalised bias like that present in the ABC and other media. And it would do nothing to stop people forming front organisations. Rather than increasing transparency it would decrease it and increase the amount of illegality, just as prohibition has always done.

G, when you make statements such as "corporate donors who generally only come in to support policies that have already been decided," and others like "The corrupt Gillard government.." and " institutionalised bias like that present in the ABC" you immediately lose almost all credibility, that sort of irrational spin is a hallmark of the Canetoad and his supporters and adds little of worth to any discussion, IMO.

How Graham can literally equate democracy with elitism, with the disproportionate money and influence wielded by cashed-up corporate interests, so as to secure their cynical interests (profit and the status quo), is beyond me.
Neoliberalism sees democracy not as the point of it all, but as an obstacle--a nuisance to be bought.

Capitalist Corporations, besides destroying and raping our fragile planet, are bigtime supporters of war too. Yeah, there's lots of loot in making the weapons of war and the munitions especially if it's combined with rabid imperialism as in America.

The canetoad who is our current Prime Minister couldn't wait to send the troops off on their bloody mission in the Middle East. He got plenty of television grabs and people seem to have forgotten the farce called the budget.

Yeah, capitalism, greed and liberal politics go hand-in-hand. They ensure the 1% accrue most of the wealth while the proles go off to die in foreign countries so that the oligarchs can sleep well each night in their mansions.

But could it be that the proles are getting sick of being exploited by the insatiably greedy and paltry politicians? Australia might have a Revolution like the French did.

Bring on the tumbrils, I say!