Political parties need discipline

Editor: Re: William Taylor letter: MPs need to be given their freedom (May 1):

Is democracy only better when you it goes your way? All political party headquarters sign off on all nominees. Does it really matter who was the first?

All parties do it because it’s based on a practical principal that it’s not unreasonable to demand final approval on who is going to speak in your name.

If other party members don’t agree with your particular choice, how does this hinder democracy?

What is a party but a group of independent-minded elected individual members representing their ridings’ concerns, but they are first and foremost to build the platform with common cause so that a party is able to pledge sound government for everyone.

If anything, diversity of opinion breeds compromise. Today, independence in our interconnected and compromise driven world, doesn’t go very far. Because no matter how brilliant or creative we think we are, we all have a thank you letter to write to someone.

I’ve never really understood what it means when people say they want more democracy.

We the people already have the power, but only if we are politically engaged and vote. If we look, we’ve just had a vivid display of how the efforts of U.S. judges, representatives and citizens armed only with their laws and constitution have thwarted every one of Donald Trump’s claimed accomplishments in his first 100 days. So democracy and the discipline of laws and rules can work.

For ordinary people, political parties are the only vehicle we have in our political system to carry forward issues of common concern into the democratic process and finally into government. How can any Canadian political party prioritize the many different issues that arise from the number of distinctly different regional characters that make up Canada without discipline?

The parties through policy discussions allow issues their day in court; and if the majority approve, it becomes party’s platform. However, if it’s voted down, the party has a right to say we tried and it failed; now we move on to the next issue.

For those members to disappointed is natural, but that disappointment in no way illustrates the process is less democratic. That’s how it works. The majority is the only bottom line we have in a democratic process.

Politics is personal and feelings are always strong. Put 10 different Canadians in one room and you’ll get 10 different opinions.

Without party discipline, nothing is accomplished. Democracy becomes even messier, even ineffective. Discipline within a political party is similar to military discipline, it is necessary for success.

Democracy works both ways: protection for the minority from the majority, but also the protection for the majority from the tyranny of the minority. Jon Peter Christoff,

West Kelowna