The announcement today from Totnes of the winner of the Tories’ first ‘open primary’ – in which the party’s Parliamentary candidate has been chosen not by party members, but by over 16,000 voters in the constituency – will prompt all political parties to ask the simple question: is this the future?
The arguments in its favour are obvious, both in terms of ‘democratic renewal’ and canny campaigning:
it has provoked national interest;
the 25% turnout suggests an appetite among the electorate;
the winning candidate has a genuine mandate;
her name recognition will have been boosted;
there has been communication with the whole constituency.
On which basis, you’d conclude it’s a no-brainer: surely every constituency which can remotely afford to run an open primary should adopt the principle. Well, perhaps. But of course it’s not quite that simple.
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