Perspectives on the Wendy Alexander Affair: Electoral Law, Parliamentary Standards and the Regulation of the Profession of Politics

This paper explores the implications of a small donation to a Scottish opposition politician who held office from September 2007 to February 2008. From these rather modest and now distant facts a number of important legal issues present themselves pertaining to the law of the funding of political parties, parliamentary self-regulation and the parallels between professional regulation and the regulation of politicians. Whilst party and campaign finance in the UK and Scotland have been the focus of some significant attention, their nexus with parliamentary standards has been rather unexplored. This engagement highlights the considerable complexity and occasional oddities of both regimes. When considered in the broader context of professional regulation standards, the regime becomes yet more questionable.