The open primary in Totnes is just the beginning

Lord Bates has written on the Blue Blog about recent selections in Totnes and Hartlepool. Read what he has to say HERE.

The open primary in Totnes was ground breaking. It allowed everyone in the constituency to have a say who the Conservative candidate was going to be. It wasn't fully open though. The local party whittled down the number of candidates to ensure the process was completed as quickly as possible. The whole point of primaries is that a rigorous examination of candidates takes place. In my view, primaries can still be called open even if they are restricted to those who register with one of the parties. 'Open' to me, means all candidates are whittled down to one by the voters. This is how many primaries are fought in the US. Voters can register themselves as Republicans or Democrats and vote in those parties primaries.

As I said here earlier this week, the news from Totnes is a great day for democracy, however, it is only the start. Whether all the electorate in a constituency are allowed to vote, or whether it is restricted to those who register with the Conservative Party, what is important is that the selection process of potential MEPs, MPs and councillors are not decided by small groups of people, but by a larger constituency.