Anger is, rightly, growing about Lord Ashcroft’s decade-long obfuscation about his tax status and the news that he has avoided paying an estimated £1.27 million in tax. But it isn’t just the fact that Ashcroft has failed to pay his fair due for the extra nurses, teachers and social workers that should concern us. Today we’ve learnt more about Ashcroft’s central involvement in steering the Conservatives towards victory at the next election, using his millions and those of other Tory donors to target key swing voter groups in marginal constituencies.

According to the Electoral Commission, Lord Ashcroft has made £3,535,419.46 in non-cash donations to the Conservative party and local Conservative organisations, and £1,602,365.69 in cash donations through his company Bearwood Corporate Services Ltd. He has made personal donations of £36,996.09 in cash and non cash donations of £74,730.00. That’s a total of £5,249,511.24. Most recently his in-kind donations have been for consultancy focus groups and opinion research. I expect, though we don’t know for certain of course, that these are the very same focus groups which help to target direct mail on unsuspecting households across the country. These ordinary voters have no idea that the messages they are receiving have been carefully crafted to appeal just to them, and all because of Ashcroft’s non tax-paying largesse.

We know that it is in marginal seats where the next election will be won, and Ashcroft has been trying his hardest to use his millions to clinch this election for the Tories. This feels more like an American election, not a British one. What has happened to the old-fashioned idea that elections are won by wearing out shoe-leather, talking to voters on their doorstep? Are we really prepared to let a man who isn’t prepared to pay his taxes in the UK like everyone else and who probably has hardly been on a council estate take over our democracy?

We’re certainly not, and that’s why we are launching our David versus Goliath campaign to raise much needed cash for Labour marginal seat candidates. Much is made of the British sense of fair play, and in this instance we think it’s time that we provided activists and voters with the opportunity to give a few pounds to our brave campaigners who work hard day-in, day-out despite seeing the floods of material their Tory opposition have. So over the next few weeks, we will be profiling candidates in the seats which will determine the outcome of the next election and sorts of big bucks they are facing.

Today, we kick off with Ruth Smeeth. A tireless campaigner in Burton who has an opponent with so much money he has been able to pay for campaign branding for his own car! We want to call on our members and readers to donate to our deserving candidates and forward on the information to friends and family. Barack Obama showed the strength of individual donor power, let’s try to show we can make it work here!