+ 1 -- need a big basket though, or maybe a skip
I've mooted "name only" ballot papers, removal of the whip and "Jury Service" MP's on here before. The problem is that the parties ideaologies aren't really about the big questions we need to ask in society today and leads to narrow political debates in the margins of civil service policies. Also party politics is a great way to ensure that the biggest a**e lickers get senior positions instead of great minds and strong leaders.
In an ideal world, the electorate should select who they feel would represent them best from their community rather than from a small list of names forced upon them. Of course there'd be problems if the selected representative didnt actually want to do the job. Basically, we shouldnt have professional politicians.
The Party conferences graphically illustrate what is wrong with our political system. They used to be there to debate and formulate policy. Does anyone think thats happened over the last few weeks. Policy is formed by a narrow cabal of mainly unelected 'advisers', with the help of over-powerful lobbyists, then tame MP's are ordered what to go and say, Malcolm Tucker style. The whips are all-powerful. Any dissent is careeer-ending
The way that political parties are presently structured is totally corrosive to the democratic process. Both main parties are completely centralised in London and have little interest in the constituencies they claim to represent.
Potential candidates are essentially foisted on local parties, from Central Office with no consultation, and no brooking of any dissent. These candidates come from the same Oxbridge PPE gene pool, and will be selected for obedience and camera-friendliness above all else.
What needs to happen is for local constituency parties, in the northern cities and the home counties, to bloody grow a pair, and tell central office they can stick their pet, press-friendly lacky, and select their own candidate, based on their own criteria.
That way we may end up with people capable of independent thought, whose interests represent more than Westminster obsessions. Lets be honest, you'd think, listening to our woeful, banal political discourse, that nothing existed outside press conferences inside the Westminster Village. And all this in one of the most mixed, vibrant and creative societies in the world. Its tragic!
What needs to happen is for local constituency parties, in the northern cities and the home counties, to bloody grow a pair, and tell central office they can stick their pet, press-friendly lacky, and select their own candidate, based on their own criteria.
Totally agree with all that binners but I believe if they did grow a pair they would lose central party funding for election campaigning etc so would probably be pretty screwed. 🙁
lose central party funding for election campaigning
Don't see why this would be a bad thing - if the parties lose their zombie master powers over their candidates then the lobbyists will hopefully just eff off.
