party finance

Another difficult issue for a leftist world party would be party finance.
Does the party have a budget or does it run strictly by donated labour time
and without any major resources? If there is a party structure of some kind,
how much money does it require? Will the money be raised by membership
contributions? Whose money will be acceptable? For example, if Bill Gates or
George Soroos offer 5 billion dollars to the party, will the party accept?
(I assume they will not offer and the party would not accept.) There is a
precedent for bona fide leftists accepting capitalist money: Frederick
Engels (capitalist) financing Karl Marx (communist). So a little bit of
capitalist money for a leftist cause is not necessarily bad. But where is
the line? If it's a *world* party, there would be an additional finance
problem because of the great income disparity in the world. Would, for
example, the world party use money raised in the rich countries for
supporting party activities in the less rich countries? Who in the party
would decide where the money goes? How much goes into green causes, how much
into red causes, how much into the pockets of party bonzes? (Looking at
these questions, one might reach the conclusion that the best world party is
no world party. But if one thinks along world federalist lines or "regional
polycentrism" lines (Amin), the picture may look a little brighter.) Just
another issue which Elson may want to add to the list.

Gert Kohler
Oakville, Canada