Douglas Carswell's Blog

There's no new politics without open primaries

If you're in any doubt about the virtues of using open primaries to select Parliamentary candidates, read this brilliant piece by Sarah Wollaston - the first MP in Britain to be selected in such a way.

Sarah Wollaston explains what is so wrong with a political system in which MPs are more answerable to other MPs than they are to their voters.   

So what happened to the promise to extend the use of open primaries, unveiled on the eve of the general election as part of a "nine point plan" to renew democracy? 

First, the idea was pinched by the ad men and the magpies - who misunderstood it and made it all about state-subsidised party selection contests using postal ballots.  Now it has been conveniently dropped on the grounds that it might cost the taxpayer - despite the original authors of the idea coming up with a scheme that would not involve any cost to the taxpayer.   

Here is how to introduce open primaries at zero extra cost to the taxpayer.

If the legislature is to do it's job properly, we need more MPs like Sarah Wollaston.  Her brilliant article reminds us why the need for open primaries remains urgent.

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