People want looser connections with parties
Parties are fundamental to a parliamentary democracy. The political party is the only vehicle capable of aggregating the interests of different voters and groups and providing a coherent policy platform. So political parties have a future, but they have work to do to catch up with 21st century voters.
The days of mass membership political parties are over. People want looser connections with parties. That's why we need to offer people the option of being registered supporters, connected but not tied into everything the party does. I also believe that people will be more willing to get involved with parties on single issues rather than across the board.
Parties also need to change how they behave. That means ending the "yah-boo" culture of the House of Commons, and being grown up enough to admit it when we agree. It also means being realistic in our promises to voters. In the long run, people only feel let down when a policy fails to meet the hyperbole used at its launch.
And we also need to change the way political parties look. At the beginning of the 21st century it is no long a man's world. Neither is it a white man's world. Our parties must reflect modern Britain if they are to represent and govern modern Britain.
The challenges are significant - but they are fundamental to the health of our democracy.
The days of mass membership political parties are over. People want looser connections with parties. That's why we need to offer people the option of being registered supporters, connected but not tied into everything the party does. I also believe that people will be more willing to get involved with parties on single issues rather than across the board.
Parties also need to change how they behave. That means ending the "yah-boo" culture of the House of Commons, and being grown up enough to admit it when we agree. It also means being realistic in our promises to voters. In the long run, people only feel let down when a policy fails to meet the hyperbole used at its launch.
And we also need to change the way political parties look. At the beginning of the 21st century it is no long a man's world. Neither is it a white man's world. Our parties must reflect modern Britain if they are to represent and govern modern Britain.
The challenges are significant - but they are fundamental to the health of our democracy.
- Theresa May, then shadow leader of the House of Commons, was writing in Unlock Democracy magazine of Autumn 2006.
No comments:
Post a Comment