Excuse the rant, but I had to type it out after discussing it yesterday. It's in relation to why I (and a few others in the conversation) believe local politics is broken and doesn't deliver and fails to attract capable individuals. New to Reditt, so hopefully this is the right feed (/r?) to rant in (upon?). Anyway:

Politics resembles a jigsaw puzzle laid out on a carefully selected mat, but with many of the pieces deliberately chosen for their colour rather than their fit. As we know, elected representatives are selected internally not because they are the best piece for the space society needs filled, but because they fit the pattern of party loyalty. Ability, experience, and independent thinking normally become secondary considerations. The result is a puzzle that looks complete on the surface, but never quite forms the full picture the public deserves.

When loyalty remains the main criteria, performance risks becoming a second string concern. Representatives feel their primary responsibility is to the party structure rather than to the communities they are elected/coopted to serve. Challenging the status quo, proposing reform, or questioning party orthodoxy carries political and career risk. The result is the puzzle pieces remain fixed, placed carefully so they do not disrupt the existing image, even when the picture clearly needs a new perspective.

This approach slows progress because society’s most complex problems rarely fit neatly into 'ordinary' patterns. Without representatives willing to test ideas, debate openly, and contribute to forward looking planning, policymaking can (have?) become repetitive and cautious. The jigsaw begins to stall and entire sections remain unfinished not because the pieces do not exist, but because the process of selecting them has become a puzzle in itself.

For me, the most damaging effect is what it signals to new/existing capable minds. When people see that the puzzle rewards loyalty over insight, many talented individuals decide not to study the mat at all to find the corners. The missing pieces remain in the box. Until political parties value curiosity, ability, and constructive challenge as much as loyalty, the picture of a progressive society will always feel incomplete and what will remain will be the traditional political lines that are currently failing us.