The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 5

HOME NEWS 1 5 Th Guardian Thursday April 16 1998 Ethics clash on state aid for political parties DmvM Hoitcti bnfcwUt Cotr powdtit mtm v. BvXvXvXvXvXvXvXvXvXvXvM' tUBBvXvXvXvXvXvXvXlBtt' -BBvt BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBlBSwiNB'ESRs El bembbebebebebm i HiBvXHHBBv VK: Htf- 'fs JHHe1BBBBBBBBBBBh': K'JIIHbIbHLBki BBBBBhBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBhE Bttf mSraBwEpPABIBB'BBBAy BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBbSL ajajflHriBBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHB BBBBBfciBil JBmHsiC mBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBbk BSSSwiflsB' BSflr Bflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflflv nmBDfiiHM''jMBiMHiiKSnc -jrinummL iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmKt 'ikfjEKm jbIbbbbbW bbbbbbbbbbbbbHUbbbbbbbI BBS- a A ROW over whether the state should pay for political activity dominated the open ing day of Lord Neill's inquiry into party funding The chairman of the Com mittee on Standards in Public Life was presented ith con tradictory evidence from a constitutional expert. Vernon Bogdanor. and the free mar ket Adam Smith Institute on the role of the state Lord Neill's committee launched its inquiry last month at the height of the furore over Labour's links with Formula One motor racing chief Bernie Ecclestone following a request from the Prime Minister The party also pledged an independent review of party funding and a ban on foreign donations to political organisations. Yesterday's public hearing began amid uncertainty as to whether Mr Ecclestone was prepared to give evidence He was at the centre of con troversy over his CI million donation to Labour before the election, although the money was later returned to Mr Ecclestone Mr Bogdanor.

pro fessor of government at Oxford university, called for public funding of political parties to "achieve greater probity in our public life'' He proposed that public-funding of the parties should be linked to an index of party activity, such as membership He told the committee that parties should rely less on company and trade union do nations and cash from wealthy individuals He said the public would always distrust the motives of people even if they were innocent who gave 1 million or more to parties. "They would be seen as trying to buy influence. He also called for national limits on spending to A man tightening the knot on a Mickey Mouse tie which style consultants are keen to see eradicated from the thoughts and wardrobes of British men Designer makeover for men dressing badly PHOTOGRAPH GRAHAM TURNER sion. No shirt collars outside sweaters, no white socks, no coats shorter than your jacket and definitely don't think that a rugby shirt and jeans is fashionable casual wear. "Also don't forget the iron, that's important." Figures from the International Wool Secretariat, which promotes the use of wool in fashion, reveal that women take much more care over choosing their wardrobe than men.

Nearly 80 per cent of women said that they take fashion seriously while more than a third of men admitted that good clothing was not one of their priorities. "You still meet men trying that pitiful 'I've got a funny tie trick' rather than actually wondering whether they look good," said Vivienne Berryman, marketing assistant at Lewin. "Many men are more adventurous with the growth of fashion magazines and glossy advertising but there are still plenty who would not know that wearing stripes and checks is more likely to cause a road accident than admiring looks." IT COULD be the death knell for the Mickey Mouse tie and the black shirt. Britain's clothing industry will next month launch the first campaign to encourage men to dress more stylishly. Called Dress for Success, the campaign will laud the country's best dressed men and encourage Middle Britain's males to emulate them.

Names that will be put forward include Tony Blair, the soccer pundit Alan Hansen, comedian Jack Dee, musician Paul Weller and actor Sir Anthony Hopkins. Fashion icons not to follow include Gyles Bran-dreth and his colourful sweaters, William Hague and his baseball cap, and Liam Gallagher if you are over 30. "Men in this country know very little about how to buy clothes," said Chris Scott-Grey, menswear director of the British Clothing Industry Association which is leading the campaign. "They buy shirts and ties at different times and are then surprised that they don't match." The campaign will en- DO: Throw out those washed-out hipster jeans DON'T: Think Mickey Mouse ties are amusing DO: Buy things knowing that they match the rest of your wardrobe DON'T: Mix checks and stripes or think that pink and green match. and don'ts will help men make stylish decisions.

A newspaper campaign will be part of the 200,000 drive, which will climax with a Dress for Success week in the run-up to autumn's London Fashion Week. "Men need to understand that dressing well matters. It might be an MBA from Cambridge that gets you the interview but it is the suit that will get you the job," said Mr Scott-Grey, the former editor of Menswear magazine. "Just follow a few simple rules and you will make much more of an impres- It may not be Art but it's quite apt Dos and don'ts DO: Wear well-fitting two-piece suits DON'T: Indulge in black shirts with light, patterned ties. Never wear white socks DO: Wear shirts and ties that match DON'T: Confuse dressing casually with dressing messily (rugby shirts and jeans are right out) courage men to shop more like fashion conscious women buying whole outfits at the same time and to remember that matching shoes and socks is as important as a matching tie.

Shops and designers sponsoring the push include Marks Spencer, Selfridges, Levi-Strauss and the shirt makers Lewin of Jermyn Street, London. They will hand out information cards and employ "style teams" to advise those worried about colour co-ordinations and possible fashion faux pas. A 10-point plan of do's famed for slick suits iSbH lVbbBbb Kamal Ahmed on the Style counsel genesis of Brit-fop Lord Neill weighing contradictory evidence deter corruption during an election campaign and for large donations to be declared Stuart Harrow, from the i Ada in Smith I nst itute. warned the committee against using more taxpayers' monev to fund politicians The research economist said all donations over should he declared on the Internet, and parties' accounts checked annually by auditors. Hut he was against limits on donations, a ban on foreign donations, or limits on cash for campaigning He also called for the present constituency limits on spending to be lifted.

Any malpractice, he claimed, could be weeded out by auditors and investigative lotirnalists Earlier Peter Rid dell, a columnist on the Times, called for all dona Hons above Hfi. ()()() to be declared The committee will hold hearings two days a week in the Central Hall. Westmin ster. until mid May and then visit Belfast. Edinburgh and Cardiff It will report by September, in time for the Government to legislate in the next session of Parliament tive world that she discovers in it the characterand thoughts of her best friend, Serge 'J'he writer himself meanwhile, isagi unip sod whose thoughts range over laxatives.

Ins piano lessons, the irritation of being at the mercy of outside opinion On one level. Rea is dealing, not unlike Chekhov in The Seagull, ith the divorce between the writer and the work between the jobbing aftsman and and the fie tional world he creates. But, on another level, she is illus trating Paul Auster's point that the reader rites the book While Parsky sees his work as an expression of his own rancorous cynicism. Martha discovers in it a poetry and compassion of which lie him sell is unaware All this is intelligent enough But thelm itsell is rather restrictive As a frequent traveller, I also found myself somewhat envious of the relaxed solitude of this particular train, free from mobile phones, blaring Walkmans and inter ruptive announcements. The main pleasure lies in the product ion and the act ing Michael Gamboii and Eileen Atkins marvellously convey two people locked in separate worlds.

This is acting of the highest calibre that gives flesh and I bone to what might otherwise be a quietly civilised 80 min-I ute radio play nnnnnnnni I Mil in luUif 'plrsr ti(k .1 Michael Billington Th Unexpected Man The Pit YASMINA Reza justly hit the jackpot with Art: a play in which a painting became a test of friendship Now with The Unexpected Man. again translated by Christopher Hampton, she uses a book as a source of ad venture: the result is civilised, elegant, but a bit too self consciously exquisite for carnivorous taste Two people, a man and a woman, sit opposite each other ona Paris-Frankfurt train. Rather than direc tly converse, they engage in inte rior monologues He. Paul Parsky. is a novelist, success ful but gnawed by bitterness about age, life, critics, his own literary inadequacy and his daughter's impending mar riagetoa much older man She, Martha, is a stylish widow who happens to have his latest novel in her haud bag, who is half in love ith him through his work but who is terrified of bringing out the book for fear of mutual embarrassment.

It is a situation that leads Reza into all sorts of specula tion: in particular, the idea that fiction has a greater real ity than life. Martha is so immersed in Parsky's imagina i Paul Weller: jamming in fashionable garb Natty knight of the realm: Anthony Hopkins IS AT RISK IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON A MORTGAGE OR OTHER LOAN SECURED ON IT. enhn n4 iiitiu rhtro nkpn nupf th nmnprit jnri rwilir vdpO Midland Rjnt nlf is reonlaird hv the Personal Investment Aulhoritv and onlv advises on its own lite assurance pensions and unit (rusts (101 Tff to Midland K.f'ik pli IklM'HM SAW 1 YOUR HOME u.hi "How much "What if wmethmy goes wrong after we move in''' can we borrow' "What a the difference between fued and variable interest rates Jack Dee: deadpan comedian "What types oj mortgage are there7 up a step by step guide from any Midland Bank Four questions you need answered (outitv Dtirrv no int SID Fvfnmg tri rm SU before buying a home. Midland Bank Mtmhii HSBC" (intup Kir you lookinp tu nvtvr brlort Aumnl pie IkVj rf you tiHl timf buy i i No plrvr ttc Arr you MidUnd (uiltinif Yes i No Ink, il ulrf up(l vour son (oar 410. I I would likr in be unjt-f1 by Midland mnrtgtge spruliM Mr ynj happ lu mnvr BjBfJBftBBpiBBB iv Vife There ir a lot ot stages to buying a home For answers to your questions.

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