What's wrong with having your name on a list?

[almostwitty]

So... the membership list for the British National Party (a far-right fascist party advocating the consensual repatriation for non-Europeans from British soil ... oh, and giving the 2012 London Olympics back to Greece) has been leaked all over the Internet, and British geeks have been soiling themselves all day mashing the list.

So now I can see that my area of London (which also happens to encompass the BBC's Television Centre) has 7 members - more than any other West London postcode. Other websites have managed to pinpoint with far greater accuracy the data, despite the learned frownings and warnings from many a political/tech geek.

My question is: what's all the fuss about? Surely if you're going to donate money to be a member of a political party or lobby group, you are de facto agreeing to most of that political organisation's aims and ideals, and therefore you should also be proud to identify with them? Give £200 to a political party, and your name is publically registered against that donation. If I were a member of any political organisation, I'd expect my name to be listed against it, and presume that it's published somewhere.

Whether Labour, the Conservatives, No2ID, Plaid Cymru or any other group publish their membership list publically or not, I don't know. But I can't see why they shouldn't, in the interest of transparency. And the same would go for the BNP. Or the Communist Party. If nothing else, it'd stop those "Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?"-type questions.

Now, tell me why I'm wrong.

Comments

[grahamwest.livejournal.com]

Publishing the list might have chilling effects. People shouldn't be dissuaded from participating in the political process because their choices could cause strife with their family, their employer, etc.

Otherwise I completely agree and transparency is definitely a good thing. Note that in the USA part of the rules are that all donations over a certain amount have to be declared by the recipient. I forget offhand what that limit is.