Despite their relative popularity in the polls, the Greens raised just £248,520 last quarter. Natalie Bennett is out with her begging bowl this afternoon demanding the taxpayer foot the bill for her party’s inability to raise funds:

“For too long now the issue of party funding has been kicked into the long grass by the establishment parties at Westminster. It is abundantly clear that urgent reform is required to restore confidence in our scandal-ridden funding system. To cut the rot of vested interests from our politics we should move towards a system of state funding for political parties.”

For all that is wrong with the current system, it’s better than party politics being paid for at the taxpayer’s expense. C’mon Vivienne Westwood, get your chequebook out…