Douglas Carswell's Blog

What if we had primary elections, too?

Watching the US Republican primary elections across the Atlantic, it appears that a number of unprincipled, careerist politicians have been turfed out. 

Senators who perhaps forgot why they were sent to Washington in the first place have been replaced by new candidates, who local folk think could do a better job.   Even the highly respected Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain, had to justify why he should remain the party flag-bearer in his home state of Arizona.  

Hummmm ....  Imagine if we had that sort of system here. 

What if sitting MPs in safe seats could be challenged by someone who thought they could do a better job of representing the party interest?  Might focus minds.  Folk might remember why they were elected to start with.  MPs might remember that they exist to make government account to the people - not people to government.   

If the Conservative Party used open primaries to choose its candidates for public office, might it not become a more effective vehicle for Conservative ideals and principles?

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