Companies pay money, they get influence, and voters are none the wiser.

Why is the Liberal Party still taking donations from tobacco companies? Mark Latham did his side a rare good turn by ending the ALP's acceptance of tobacco donations in 2004; it is past time for the Liberals to follow suit.

The party should not accept the money for two reasons. It's morally wrong - no grey area there, sorry - cigarettes kill. It also creates practical problems. Consider Tony Abbott's conundrum. Currently we are having a significant policy debate about plain packaging for tobacco products. Abbott on Tuesday posed a reasonable question: will it work? Policy should be based on evidence, and playing devil's advocate is not a thought-crime.

Health advocates believe the measure will limit sales of a highly addictive and dangerous product. Not so the tobacco companies. The industry makes the claim that generic packaging will trigger aggressive price discounting. If the industry follows through on its oafish threat to discount prices, then a flood of cheap cigarettes could counteract the health benefits.

This line of argument reeks of tobacco's predictable self-interest - but I wouldn't propose that politicians or voters desist from asking questions, or participating in rational debate.