Do Political Parties Have Power Anymore?
Political parties must reassess what power means and who it’s for.
With almost half of the world’s adult population heading to the polls to vote this year, my attention in the last week has been drawn to the state of political parties and what they mean in the modern age where the cult of the individual reigns supreme. How important are political parties? What kind of energy and power do political parties currently hold and exert beyond their institutional influence? And have we become too clouded, too fixated on political party “messaging” to really understand and feel invested in the essence of what political parties are and should be about?
As some of you know, when I was an academic researcher at Cambridge University my work revolved around questions relating to democracy and constitutional rules and procedures. Whilst I was observing and writing about the poor state of ethics and standards in public life and general absurdity (and poor quality) of some of the laws being enacted in the UK (such as a new Bill of Rights Bill which deliberately aimed to reduce rights) I became increasingly curious in politicians and their human reasoning behind their decisions and actions.
Naturally, I wondered why they felt that their political party best suited their beliefs and how it shared their values and ambitions for the UK. At one point, when I was writing about the Bill of Rights Bill, I found myself questioning how much knowledge some politicians knew about the history of the political party they belonged to because their actions and behaviour were so contrary to the values and beliefs that unpin the entire point and purpose of their political party. It all felt a bit energetically off. And I’m not the only one feeling and seeing this.
After reading a highly unsurprising piece last week about why young people are deserting the current governing party of the UK, the Conservative Party – previously one of the world’s most successful and historical political parties – it struck me that my generation find it difficult to truly involve themselves in political parties, with one reason being that they aren’t experiencing any direct benefits (which is definitely true about the Conservative Party). Another is lack of connection on a human level – can we know, like and trust this party? What is the “why” behind the party’s “why”?
But involvement in activism? It’s all the range. We all know and celebrate individual champions of the environment, justice, women’s rights etc, but who knows anyone who belongs to a political party anymore? Or who would openly declare their interest in joining one? Barely anyone.
According to research, the average age of a political party member in the UK is around 50 years old. Political parties should be worried and assess why this is. If not, the concept of a political party and the point of its existence may reach crisis point in the coming years. Such a moment would be hazardous for democracy and society at large. In an age that demands collective action and investment to address massive political conundrums like the evolution of AI, climate change and vast economic inequality, now is not the time to undervalue political parties. But equally, political parties must up their game and demonstrate what they are worth and why they are important.
Worth and importance always link to power. Yet the dynamic and nature of power within political parties has changed and evolved over the last few decades to a state which seems counter intuitive to the spirit and soul of political change. This is why political parties are in their wilderness era.
There are other factors too. Firstly, the political pool has gotten wider. Anyone with an opinion and an internet connection can contribute to the political conversation, and political parties have responded by reacting and forcing instead of fully understanding the nuance of a political issue and how best to solve it. Secondly, the influence of Big Money from individual donors and not collective contributors who have decreased their financial contributions, suggesting political parties don’t view them as valuable as they once were. Smaller donors feel less seen and heard. Non-donor party members feel positively ignored.
Historically, and through the lens of capitalism, our collective idea of “power” has often been associated with influence, control, domination and prestige. There has been a kickback to this in light of Pluto’s recent fifteen year journey through Capricorn which has revealed hidden truths about these themes. But what should power be like and feel like in a modern political party? What gives oxygen and energy to good ideas and people, and what takes away? Can we get over our obsession with political main character energy which excessively focuses upon a few politicians and start believing and trusting in the power of a group of political individuals who share and are invested in common ideals?
Our understanding of power within the context of political parties has changed beyond our recognition. I read with fascination Marianne Williamson’s strongly worded piece on the trajectory of the Democratic Party in the US and where love comes into the equation (in her view, very little). In her view, the Democrats have “abandoned its most soulful principles”, fail to interrogate “what we stand for” and that “Democrats forgot what it means to be Democrats”. I’m not enough of an expert on American politics to agree or disagree with her, but these very simple, yet core principles, can easily be applied to political parties across the world.
Overlooking such simple yet significant things would be like a human forgetting to eat or breath. It wouldn’t survive for very long. In the interim, a political party is but a hollow space for noise without listening and engagement. A process without purpose. A group without connection. In other words, a very pointless exercise which won’t help political progress or the politicians themselves. True power is magnetic and comes from the heart and soul. It is shaped and crystallized by values and character.
Because politics is now primarily conducted through digital mediums – whether that be through emails, Zoom calls, communication via social media etc – I wonder if this has led to more politicians subconsciously focusing on the future to the detriment of understanding why and how their political party progressed from the past to the present. History offers us a phenomenal number of lessons and wisdom if we are patient enough to take the time to process it and apply it. The more time we invest in understanding it, the more knowledge we have in navigating the future.
This is why all political parties should run a monthly meet up for its politicians to learn something new about their party. Not only would this help policy, but it would also help politicians spiritually and emotionally connect with and be invested in their party. It would also remind them that they themselves will become historically associated with the party’s social and political legacy. It’s an active reminder that what they reap they will also sow.
To resurrect themselves and their position within society, political parties should ask themselves what steps they are taking that are in alignment with the spirit of their party’s founding values and how each politician can contribute as their higher human selves. Just see how quickly things start evolving for the better and how much more connected and supportive people would be of political parties. This form of law of attraction would garner support and not repel it as it commonly does now.
Of course, there will always be politicians who are still going to be in power for themselves. Yet karma has a way of catching up with those who overlook it.
Political parties should be more willing to “do the right thing”. At their core, a successful political party is all about the people within them who we know, like and trust. They are the connecting dots of change and historical progress. They are the energy that creates and enhances change or creates disorder and stagnation. Too much focus on the leader means less time on the details and interaction between members and politicians.
A flower cannot bloom if its roots aren’t firmly rooted in the soil. Similarly, weeds must be removed so that they don’t harm and contaminate the other flowers. Likewise, a party cannot prosper if its policy changes as routinely as the weather changes. Uprooting will never lead to growth and a full, budding flower. Collective progress requires consistency, belief, and care. And it all starts with the people and what their definition of power is.
Informative and expansive exploration, Joanna. I think political parties have been nothing more than a way to power. There main importance has been the ability to organize voters in a democratic system. However, and as democracy itself, they were always highly inefficient. It is no surprise that their relevance continues to diminish as interest in politics declines, especially amongst the young.
With time, as politics become more centered on individuals, their monopoly as a tool for power will wane. They'll find themselves where the Republican Party in the US currently is: it needs Trump more than he needs it. Time will tell, but as their effectiveness as a way of mobilization declines in today's age of social media politics, parties could become hollow vessels whose only anchor is legality, not functionality.