Detailed Summary of 'Necessity'
Political parties are indispensable to the functioning of modern democracies. This section highlights several compelling reasons for this necessity. First and foremost, political parties provide structure within the political landscape by contesting elections and forming governments. They serve a critical role in organizing diverse opinions and interests in society, allowing citizens to engage meaningfully in governance.
Political parties, as groups of individuals united by shared policies and goals, simplify the electoral process for voters by consolidating many varying views into a clearer set of choices. This aggregation of opinions creates a more manageable landscape for government action.
Moreover, in the absence of political parties, elections would be exceedingly chaotic, with each candidate acting independently and making individual promises to voters. Such a scenario would lead to significant uncertainty in governance as the elected representatives would lack accountability towards a coherent body or platform.
The section also discusses examples of local non-partisan elections, which frequently devolve into factionalism, resembling party-like behavior, illustrating that political parties naturally emerge as a response to the need for organized representation. Therefore, it concludes that parties are fundamentally necessary for representative democracy, facilitating effective governance and accountability.