On Andrew Marr this morning, Lieber Lady Ed Miller Band stole The Slog’s main policy platform and called for ‘an end to big money in politics’. Even Marr looked slightly taken aback. Er, including the Unions, he asked. Everyone without exception, Ed replied.

This is the equivalent of a man facing the death sentence committing suicide live on television, but it sort of missed the point. However, those considerations aside for a moment, this has put the One School band of Conservatives in a corner. After cash for access, Developers’ donations, and Ashcroft, how can they possibly say no?

Apart from Ed falling on the point of his placard-pole here, his critics in the Union Movement will also make a very valid observation: Murdoch didn’t make any donations, yet he used other methods to virtually run the Government. Ner-ner-na-naar-na. Dromey 1, Miliband 1.

But two wrongs don’t make a right. Miliband wants a donation cap (very good idea, but what’s to stop Unite simply giving its members 500 lots of £5000 to write cheques?).

It’s a good start, but it’s not enough. We need to take Big Influence out of politics. A 100% ban on all lobbying is the only answer…plus my solution which would ban ALL donations by putting the cost of electioneering into the hands of the tax collectors. An awful thought I know, but the least of many evils: it would make Parties taking the money pointless, and open up the field to newcomers.

Which is why – natch – the elite will never do it.

Still, onward and upward: at least its out there in the MSM at last…