False populism and the Conservative leadership vote | National Newswatch:
The federal Conservative party will choose a new leader in a matter of weeks.
The ballots have already gone out to thousands of party members, and
responses must be received by September 6, 2022. The results of the vote
will be announced on September 10, 2022. This method is presented as a
more “democratic” way to choose a leader, since it provides the
opportunity for anyone taking out a membership to vote. Candidates are
actually awarded “points” based on their ability to sell as many party
memberships as possible. As an exercise in pure salesmanship, the
process may be argued to be a success. By one count the Conservative
Party boasts some 675,000 members- at least on paper. I offer the
counter view that by virtually eliminating the role of political parties
and Members of Parliament in the leadership selection, the process
provides a badly distorted and highly misleading notion of openness and a
Trojan Horse which invites extremism under the false claim of
“populism”.
False populism and the Conservative leadership vote | National Newswatch: The federal Conservative party will choose a new leader in a matter of weeks.The ballots have already gone out to thousands of party members, and
responses must be received by September 6, 2022. The results of the vote
will be announced on September 10, 2022. This method is presented as a
more “democratic” way to choose a leader, since it provides the
opportunity for anyone taking out a membership to vote. Candidates are
actually awarded “points” based on their ability to sell as many party
memberships as possible. As an exercise in pure salesmanship, the
process may be argued to be a success. By one count the Conservative
Party boasts some 675,000 members- at least on paper. I offer the
counter view that by virtually eliminating the role of political parties
and Members of Parliament in the leadership selection, the process
provides a badly distorted and highly misleading notion of openness and a
Trojan Horse which invites extremism under the false claim of
“populism”.Read More