Political parties are one of the most useless inventions we have come up with. Most people treat political parties the same way they treat a football team, they barrack for one because their parents supported the same party, and dislike all the other parties. That is one of the most useless reasons to support or dislike a political party. It stops people from developing critical thinking skills, which is a requirement for the development of optimum policies. Lets abolish political parties so that politicans stop being pre-selected by their friends, and get elected instead by merit. Lets create a parliament of independent politicans that stop ignoring our wishes, so that we can influence political and public policy, instead of being ignored.
If we don’t have political parties, what should have in it’s place? I agree that most people don’t understand politics well enough and just stick to a favorite, as if it’s a football team, but I think that could be solved with a simple test. A test to make sure that only people who understand politics well enough will be allowed to vote. But that test can be exploited by the ruling party. A leader could change the test to filter away people from the elections.
Democracy can function without political parties. When the British colony of Western Australia established a local parliament in 1890, it took over ten years for political parties to emerge. The parliamentarians were all independents who stood for single member electorates. Once elected the Governor of the colony appointed a Premier from the elected legisature, basing his decision on merit and consultation, and the parliamentarians divided themselves into government, opposition and cross bench members, without forming political parties, extra-parliamentary organisations or factions. The legisature did have a Leader of the opposition, but the Premier was never challenged, and his government was re-elected in the 1894 and 1897 elections.
It won’t happen. You can argue against political parties all you like, but people still prefer to form groups to press their beliefs, and others prefer to vote for those groups so they don’t have to bother analyzing the ideas of individuals. Lazy? Sure. Doesn’t mean that’ll change.
What a silly, authoritarian/totalitarian notion.
A political party is simply any group of like-minded people acting in their perceived, mutual best interest. Banning parties would require banning groups of people even discussing anything political.
“Hey, you two talking politics in the back of the pub! That’s banned political collusion, hands in the air!”
I am not advocating for political parties to be banned. I am simply suggesting that people should consider voting for independents as an alternative. I believe that political parties become vehicles for personal advancement, and the promotion of ideology, instead of organisations that promote practical problem solving, and best possible outcomes. They become beholden to outside interests, and the community as a whole suffers because of this. One reason politicians are labelled as elites, is because friends in their party preselect them. A true independent is less elite, because he is elected by his constituents on merit, and votes according to his conscience, as a delegate for his constituents, on behalf of the wider community.
Without parties, you would get a bunch of independants who no-ones knows what they support. To get anything done, the independants would group together, and end up with a party. To fight this party, the rest would form an opposition party. Imagine what elections would be like if there were thousands of independants standing, TV and newspapers would have no hope of giving them any coverage.
I would vote for them if they were all the things I am for. Republicans usually aren’t so why would I want them representing me? This has nothing to do with voting only one party but their beliefs and how they would incorporate what I feel is right.