H: Clode's Right Political Dictionary
“Hansard” In former British Commonwealth countries, this is the name of the printed transcript of all the words spoken in Parliament. Such transcripts are usually published as bound books, distributed to all politicians and lodged with major libraries. Increasingly, transcripts of parliamentary proceedings are being made available on the internet.
“Hard Money/Soft Money” The words “hard” or “soft” are used to differentiate between campaign funding that is and is not regulated by law. “Hard money” is regulated by law and can be legally used to influence the outcome of elections. In return for complying with disclosure rules or spending rules, parties can spend this money advocating the election of specific candidates. “Soft money” is money raised in ways which do not meet disclosure requirements, so can only be legally spent on activities that do not directly advocate the election of candidates for public office. Accordingly soft money is often confined to activities such as voter registration drives, party membership drives, party training for members, and party administrative costs. If laws only limit spending at one level of government (like the national level), then soft money can still be used by a party to directly support its state and local candidates. These twin terms are common in the United States, where hard money donations are publicly disclosed, while soft money often involves secret donations which are sometimes indirectly used to support election campaigns.