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Thursday, 29 October 2026

Why do politicians donate so much money to local groups?

Following on from the introduction of Transparency and targeting of political advertising regulations that I detailed in my previous blog post, its interesting how its exposing an element of how politicians use their funds. Bureaucracy gone mad’ – fears new EU rules could affect political advertising in local newsletters and charity calendars

Strict transparency requirements could stop councillors taking out ads or sponsoring community sporting events

AILG executive director Tommy Moylan said the rules could stop politicians advertising in local community group programmes or charity calendars, taking out billboards wishing hurling teams well, or even sponsoring a tee box in a golf classic. This could have an effect on community fundraising efforts. “That is the worry,” Mr Moylan said. “Fair enough for political ads in print media, I can understand that. But with all due respect, if you’re wishing your constituents ‘Happy Christmas’ in an ad a week out from Christmas, is that not transparent enough for local democracy?”

Independent Ireland councillor for Wexford Michael Sheehan said the regulation as it now stood would have “a dramatic effect on our communities, our sports clubs, our charities, and ultimately, our politics”. “I think when politicians realise that giving €50 to the local sports club for their cabaret is going to require a label, a QR code, a copy of the document, who ordered the ad, who produced the ad, the cost of the ad, the duration of the ad and the function of the ad, I think they’re going to look at this saying: ‘This is bureaucracy gone mad’.

The increased transparency (outside of election periods) is great and I think this spending should be known in an ordered way. (I haven't found any Independent politicians doing this yet as the parties have been doing).

I happened to notice these 4 in a row Transparency Notices from Cian O'Callaghan Social Democrats (my local TD, who I've voted for) declaring ad purchases/donations to various local schools and sporting organisations events.

I find the practice of paying over-inflated prices to place a token political ad in the match programme or at an event to be odd, some may say it is common but it's still odd.

Surely politicians' role is to advocate or enable charitable organisations not to donate to them.

The only time I've seen it discussed in the Dail is in 2012 by Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) during a debate on the Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011

In the future should we consider limiting what politicians can spend, by way of so-called donations or in advertising? This is basically a vote-seeking effort. I do not suggest that we should be prohibited absolutely from buying tickets, or whatever, but it is the other side of the equation. We are being obliged by law to accept only modest donations while people who are privately wealthy can use their money to buy sponsorship or advertising. It becomes a way of buying votes. This is probably something we should consider. The public might decide that all politicians, who are believed to be so wealthy, have become so mean they will not even buy a ticket at the local GAA draw but we must find that balance. The Minister might have a view on this for the future.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

Independent Deputies receive the leader's allowance of €45,000, and some of them are giving the money to charity. One independent TD in my constituency gives the money to charity. That is not right. That is a way of buying votes, to be frank about it.

The EU has a regulation 2024/900 that political advertising services need to publish details of political ads they create and their targeting. Transparency & Targeting of Political Advertising Regulation or TTPA. As far as I understand the onus is on the political advertising services to publish the transparency notices but Irish political parties or 'sponsors' have begun to publish Transparency Notices as the EU parliament has not yet created a repository for EU political ads. A timeline suggested a launch in April 2026, European Repository for Political Ads: The Deadline Has Passed.

(64) To ensure the publication of the information about online political advertising required under this Regulation, and effective access to it by all interested individuals, it is necessary that the Commission should establish and ensure, directly or by entrusting this responsibility to a management authority, the management of a public repository for all online political advertisements, the European repository for online political advertisements.

The big social media companies Meta and Google have chosen not to follow the EU regulations because they claim they are too onerous so since Octoer 2024 they aren’t taking political ads and TikTok says it never took political ads (directly). The political advertising transparency law equally applies to physical ads, posters, leafets, 'swag' etc.

I only discovered these Transparency Notices by chance as there is a by-election occuring in 2 Irish parliamentary constituences at the moment, I can't find anyone outside those directly involved, having made known these Transparency Notices were being published. As soon as I found most of the Irish Political Parties I tried to tell every journalist and digital transparency researcher I knew. Liz Carolan of Digital Action on her newsletter The Briefing quickly began analysising, highlighting and explaining the data as well as speaking with the parties and the media in a more professional way then I can.

We finally know how much money shapes Irish elections Irish Times - 20 May 2026.
How you can monitor what candidates are spending on the by-elections RTE - News At One - 20 May 2026.
Here's how party candidates have spent more than €250k on the upcoming byelections Andrew Walsh The Journal also analysed the data but strangely didn't explicitly mention that no large social media company is taking political ads at the moment and thats why there is almost zero digital spending in these by-elections.
Revealed: How much money political parties spent on by-elections and why spending more doesn’t guarantee a win Independent Maeve McTaggert Does not make it clear that Meta and Google are the ones refusing to take ads and comply with the EU transparency regulations.
Fianna Fáil trailing in polls despite €46k spend on campaigns Extra.ie Muiris Ó Cearbhaill

All the political parties represented in the Irish Parliament have begun to publish transparency notices in regard to their mostly physical ad purchases. Its not beyond any Independent political candidate to publish list of Transparency Notices but almost none have so far and the Irish Electoral Commission is not forcing them to.

Irish Political Parties

https://transparency.finegael.ie/
https://labour.ie/transparency/
https://transparency.fiannafail.ie/
https://sinnfein.ie/transparency/ Sinn Fein at Advocate Digital
https://www.socialdemocrats.ie/transparency/
https://www.greenparty.ie/transparency
https://aontu.ie/transparency/
https://www.independentireland.ie/transparency
https://www.pbp.ie/transparency/
https://www.irishpeople.org/transparency

By-election candidates

I found 2 no others
https://www.garrityforgalway.ie/transparency/
https://www.irishpeople.org/transparency

Newspaper/Advertising Groups are also publishing Transparecy Notices, there one I've found so far are,

https://www.jcdecaux.ie/transparency
https://www.mediahuis.ie/menu-legal/ttpa/
https://agrilandmedia.ie/agriland-media-ttpa/
https://pages.farmersjournal.ie/ttpa/
https://clarechampion.ie/wp-content/uploads/

One could use https://www.mediaownership.ie/ to search for more.

I searched for Irish MEPs publishing Transparency Notices only found 3 so far, they could be using their parties TTPA page.

https://cynthianimhurchu.ie/transparency-notice/
https://lynnboylan.ie
https://ninacarberrymep.com/transparency/
https://www.barryandrews.ie
https://www.reginadoherty.com/
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan
Kathleen Funchion
https://billykelleher.ie
http://www.ciaranmullooly.com/
https://seankelly.eu
https://www.aodhan.ie
https://mariawalsh.eu/transparencynotice/
Barry Cowen
https://michaelmcnamaratd.com

I also search for Transparency Notices for European Parliament Political Groups and Parties. None have and I can't even find any companies that have posted Transparency Notices for ads those party or groups have sponored.

Commercial repositories platforms

The Taurus Expanse UG & Co. KG - Munich, Germany · EU-hosted TTAD Public register
Politicaladvertising.eu SMIT. Digitaal vakmanschap
Polads.eu STEP Network with a number of Danish media an advertising outlets.
Adfairly.eu/ Teamfluence OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia
TTPA check.eu Teamfluence
Advocate Digital Ad Campaign Library by electica.io/
TTPA makes first-party data crucial for political messaging GXE
Adnuntius Documentation Adnuntius political ad list
politiekereclame NL
political-ads.eu grxchange.gr

EU (non-Irish) Transparency Notices

Trying to find non-Irish Transparency Notices, obviously they wouldnt be in English, Im using 2024/900 AND TTPA to search.
Profil.at Austrian Newspaper form to report TTPA violations?
EU Register of Legal Representatives for Non-EU Political Advertising Providers

Non-Irish Political Party Transparency notices

The Green party of Lower Saxony TTPA-VO Use "Transparenzbekanntmachung gemäß Artikel 11 der Verordnung (EU) 2024/900 über die Transparenz und das Targeting politischer Werbung (TTPA-VO)." to search for more.

European Political Groups

Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) No
Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament No
Patriots for Europe Group No
European Conservatives and Reformists Group No
Renew Europe Group Yes
Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance No
The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL No
Europe of Sovereign Nations Group No