If our political parties did not exist, would we ever need to invent them?
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Comment is free: Timothy Garton Ash: From Poland to Italy, democracies struggle to create mass parties that will last longer than a speed-dating session.
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How to merge profit, principle and purpose to serve an expanding list of constituencies.
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One of the two democratic campaigns will end up with a fresh sense of possibility, the other with a sense of opportunity lost.
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How campaign donors can defy the odds of a classic economic theory.
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After losing back-to-back presidential elections, Democratic leaders are trying to figure out how to make the party more relevant to mainstream Americans and keep it from slipping into perpetual minority-party status. And the task is daunting, many Democratic consultants and leaders agree.
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"The idea of a single center-right party is a significant one, but at this stage we are very far from that"  Ousted from power last year, Silvio Berlusconi is gambling big in his quest for a way back into the political limelight.True to his style, the flamboyant politician is paving the way for a new party, has picked a former beauty queen as his latest ally, and has promised to unite squabbling coalition partners.While the new Freedom Party is little more than a label for now, its official registration _ by businesswoman and former Miss Italy contestant Michela Vittoria Brambilla _ has already shaken up the political scene during an otherwise sleepy summer. Read more
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Sometimes your own partyÃ¢ÂÂs support isnÃ¢ÂÂt enough Ã¢ÂÂ a fact of political life being borne out again in the competitive Republican-versus-Republican special election campaign for the vacant House seat in GeorgiaÃ¢ÂÂs 10th Congressional District.
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Comment is free: Martin Kettle: The progressive heresy that there is little difference between our candidates is a leitmotif of all modern politics.
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New Labour is no longer the party of shiny, happy people, and it is no longer fashionable. This may be no bad thing: the party will learn patience and gain intellectual strength.
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Comment is free: Gary Younge: To change the political sclerosis gripping their country, Americans need a president distinguished by his lack of pedigree
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One of the primary goals of modern society is to enhance a worldwide commitment to democracy. With so many national differences concerning preferred electoral processes, it helps to have a general definition of a democratic government.
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Comment is free: Polly Toynbee: Lib Dem tax proposals are a blow for sanity in an era of excess. Labour should do better than try to trash them pointlessly.
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The party is cautious and uninspiring. It needs to be hot, conscious that the destiny of our country is at stake. By Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
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Although blogs like Daily Kos have demonstrated some possibilities of the medium, political candidates haven't bought into them, and probably won't anytime soon. By Daniel Terdiman.
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Too many important policy issues are unlikely to be addressed by major party candidates in this year&#39;s presidential campaign. As of the recent Republican Convention, Sen. John Kerry
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On the internet, no one knows if you're a voter By now, you've most likely heard of Democrats Abroad, the organization that for the first time in history is allowing US citizens to use the internet to cast ballots in a presidential primary.â¦
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Having lost five of the past seven presidential elections, the Democrats have to decide whether to reinvent their party and who should lead it forward