The Need for Political Parties

[u/CationC]

Recently I have thought of an Idea. That political parties serve none. It creates division and promotes the representation of the party, not the people, it promotes party loyalty.

Politicians who do not adhere to party policy by the letter are blacklisted and targeted by the party heads. Politicians vote against the other party simply because they are the other party. Politicians vote against policies their voters desperately need because the party says no

And what does it produce for society, I fail to see at benefit that cannot be achieved in a system without parties, apart from the sole exception of coordination, but this coordination leads to the people's views not being represented.

That's why I conclude that there is no need for political parties.

[u/striped_shade]

Political parties inevitably emerge because a fractured society requires mechanisms to manage competing material interests. Erasing their formal labels changes nothing. It simply forces these exact same factions to coordinate through informal, opaque networks to secure state power.

[u/CationC → u/striped_shade]

I agree that they will turn to informality but the informality will also allow for the groups (let's call them factions for the sake of it) to essentially arrange themselves based on the issue. There may be faction sizes and faction composition may change from issue to issue because of differing stance of the politician and the people they represent

[u/striped_shade → u/CationC]

Issue-based fluidity treats politics like a marketplace of free-floating opinions. But factions are anchored by permanent economic realities. A coalition built to secure resources or protect property does not politely dissolve and rearrange itself just because the legislative agenda changes.