Desperate times require desperate measures. Britain's ruling Labour party is so strapped for cash that it staged a celebrity auction this month to help service its debts of about £20m ($40m, €25m). Prizes included a game of tennis with Tony Blair, the former prime minister, and lunch with Sir Alex Ferguson, the Labour-supporting boss of Manchester United Football Club.

The event at Wembley stadium raised more than £350,000 but times are still hard. After a series of party funding scandals, big donors from business have largely vanished, reluctant to stand in the spotlight. In any case, why support a party that looks as though it is sliding out of power?