"Unofficial" association of politicians is to be expected. Brokering a deal is part of politics. You support my legislation and I will support yours. You cannot and perhaps should not attempt to eliminate such deals altogether.

However, political parties provide one stop shopping.

Individuals cannot form a majority. Only parties can form a majority. Add the party whip, to enforce voting the party line, and you have a ready made environment for the priviledged and special interest groups to buy the legislation they want with a single large contribution.

This cannot be accomplished without political parties.

A simple law requiring campagne contributors to only support candidates in one riding would prevent any individual or special interest group from buying a majority vote.

It is much harder to buy off a host of individuals for a majority vote, than it is to buy a political party majority vote.

In our time, the need for politcal advertising and political contributions may even be considered unnecessary. A single government WEB site could list the candidates in each riding and provide their bio, political views, certifications, etc. No endorsements should be allowed, since that would undermine the independence of the candidate. Further, government funded townhall debates between candidates in each riding would provide voters with a sense of how their potential candidates would perform if elected.

Further, politicians rely on party endorsement to garner votes. Without party endorsement, there is less likelyhood of associating representatives to be elected in such a way as to form a majority.

FUDFREE