The Party's Over: Blueprint for a Very English Revolution (Societas) Book

Public interest in politics is at an all-time low and ? leaving aside suggestions for Pop-Idol-style TV competitions ? nobody knows what to do about it. According to this challenging new book, this is the inevitable long-term consequence of party domination ? foreseen at the time of the Second Reform Act by Dicey, Bagehot and other constitutional experts. Although the UK political party started off as a loose association of like-minded MPs, in recent years the tail has been furiously wagging the dog ? politicians now have no alternative but to choose a ?presidential? leader with the charisma and thespian skills necessary to win elections and then fall meekly in line behind him or her. This book examines the historical forces that gave rise to the modern political party and questions its role in the post-ideological age. If we all now share the same liberal market consensus, then what is the point of the party? The book investigates the US system of checks and balances as an alternative, but concludes that we would be better off reinterpreting our own constitution more literally. When the Chancellor really was a minister of the crown, every line of the budget was meticulously scrutinized. The key to the changes advocated in the book is the replacement of the rusty Victorian ballot-box with a modern system of representation, based on the jury-selection principle. A vision of British politics after the demise of the party systemRead More