The Fake Charities, too, belong on Osborne's bonfire

The insidious corruption of Labour's era ran deep, even into an area that was traditionally politically neutral, that of charities. It is not the business of government to give taxpayers' money to charity, and even less to corrupt such charities by 'buying' a politically convenient message. Yet Labour did so on a tyrannical scale. Labour's civil servants used a spurious process of 'contracts' and 'commissioning' to use charities, or the 'third sector' as they preferred to term them, to deliver elements of government policy. "Look" they said, "You've got a recognised and respected name and a network of volunteers across the country. We'd like you to help deliver our message on children's bedtimes under the 'Lights Out By Nine' campaign; in return we'll give you £0.5m a year for three years." Many otherwise uncorrupt charities found the lucre too attractive to resist.

But there are suspicions that the corruption got even worse than this. That Labour actually set up new charities, packed the boards with Labour placemen and a Chief Executive on a fat salary, with the intention of deceiving the public about the origin of political messages.

And yet still more Labour funding to left-message charities was simple gerrymandering, using tax funds to buy the payroll vote.

Each government department and every local authority is used to channel tax money to doubtful and spurious charities. The Department of Health is a good example; here is their 2009/10 'Third sector investment programme', including the following;

Action on Smoking and Health - £210,000

Alcohol Concern - £450,000

Both are fully Fake Charities, with only around 1% of their income from public donations. Then there are the bribes and 'dash' to keep the payroll sweet;

£199,830 - to the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations - 'Supporting Third Sector Leaders'

Then there are the francs-tireurs, Fake Charities formed by Labour to snipe at an incoming Conservative government from behind the lines; 'National Voices' got £200,000 of tax money last year from the DH. Who they?

"Formed in 2008, National Voices is a coalition of more than 200 national health and social care organisations, coming together to ensure a stronger voice for all those who come into contact with the NHS and care services, and the voluntary organisations that help them. Our independence of Government, and our wide representation, rooted in service user experiences, gives us the authority we need to influence decision makers."

You may be choking on your cornflakes by now at that 'Our independence of Government'. National Voices' last filed accounts for 2008 show that of total income of £788,000 just £40 came from public donations, £78,450 came from pharmaceutical companies and the balance, 90% of its funding, was tax money - £380,000 of it from the DH in 2008.

Go through the list yourself. Then imagine it replicated by every other Whitehall department. And by every local authority. How many hundreds of millions of our tax money have been pissed away by Labour in this way?

It needs to end. Now.