A GLIMPSE INTO THE SEWER D: Andrew Wiard. Report

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Thorpe's coalition mate Callaghan immediately went to the extraordinary lengths of stating that Goodman was nothing to do with the case.

But the most startling revelations were contained in letters from Thorpe to millionaire 'patriot Jack Hayward.

Hayward is not a member of the Liberal Party. He is the man who ran the I'm Backing Britain' campaign of jingoism in the 1960s and now runs a business in the Bahamas.

£100,000 He was the single biggest contributor to Liberal Party funds in recent years. Cheques for more than €100,000 were referred to in court.

Thorpe's letters have not been challenged by the defence. In them he shows complete contempt for election expenses rules.

He also shows the way that the Liberal Party persuaded leading capitalists to support it on an 'anti-Labour' ticket, and the way that it would be possible for any outsider to 'buy' a coalition government.

The Liberals during the recent 1977-78 coalition with the Labour leaders held more sway over political decisions than the Parliamentary Labour Party or the National Executive of the Labour Party. Yet the Liberals were completely indebted to one businessman.

International meetings with Kissinger-far from conforming to the media notions of diplomacy-were concerned with the more solid question of business.

A letter from Thorpe on 10 April 1974 says:

*1) Kissinger: We had an extremely useful and friendly talk at the American Embassy. I gave him a full brief and he has shown definite interest Ironically I had a session with Nixon at the reception following Pompidou's memorial service but didn't think I could quite raise Freeport on that occasion."

Freeport was Hayward's home, referred to later in a letter from Thorpe as 'the Freeport project"

Here is Thorpe's attitude to his electors:

"Your extremely generous contribution of £50,000 made it possible for me to have the closed circuit TV which enabled me to sew up North Devon for good while doing a national TV campaign".

And his attitude to election expenses:

Delicately I would like to ask for two cheques! My reason is this. Each candidate is limited to a total sum for his individual campaign. If he exceeds it by one penny he can be unseated!

"In my case | fought a national and a local campaign from Barnstable. There is therefore an overlap of some expenditure which would prefer not to have to argue about!

"Accordingly Nadir Dinshaw, who is Rupert's godfather and who is conveniently resident in Jersey, has agreed to settle bills which fall into this ambigous category. Thorpe under police escort Labour government was totally neutralised from carrying out any reforms or socialist policies. In 1977 that coalition came about.

Given the way that Thorpe collected finance, it could as easily have been the CIA that was building the Liberal Party in Britain.

The evidence emerging in the hearing is little more than a glimpse into the sewer of bourgeois democracy and its institutions.

The evidence in this case should be carefully and thoroughly followed by all workers.

Illusions

The state builds illusions in Parliamentarianism to persuade the working class that its interests can be pursued through the ballot box and that gains can be won by peaceful means.

The Thorpe case is providing a concrete example of what is evident to Marxists: namely that all Parliamentarianism is a