Well off – that’ll be a political party then

POLITICS is a business: not just about getting business, but about the necessity of keeping the books balanced and bringing in the money to fund all those pesky election campaigns.

This week, the Electoral Commission published the budgets of Northern Ireland’s political parties.

Last year, Sinn Féin raked in the most money (more than £1.1m) but spent more than that. The DUP raised £348,191 and spent £480,158. The SDLP's income was £398,829 but it spent £499,583.

The UUP spent £357,430 but took in £392,868, making them the only party to return books that were in the ‘black’.

Which, given the figure for all the parties, begs the question - just how much do those election posters actually cost? And what does it cost to send all those leaflets to reach their ultimate destination, the recycling bin?