DO WE NEED POLITICAL PARTIES? A business approach to this matter..

1. Political Parties: The Road from Brick to Smartphone

2. INITIAL DEBATE
DO WE NEED POLITICAL PARTIES?

4. • Political parties have NEVER been
especially “popular” among the citizenry.

5. The Point of Political Parties
• Political parties are good to weight and evaluate the
demands of a given society and its different sectors; this
way, proposals and political programs can be devised to
properly address these needs or wishes.
• They compete for leadership before their potential voters
so as to be able to implement their own program, which is
based according to their voters’ demands.
• Thus, “political rivalry” among several political parties
guarantees the existence of democratic and free elections;
in the end, an efficient and responsible government will be
established and controlled by those opposing groups that
did not “win.”

6. Political parties represent the most
interface
important
between a
given free civil society and its efficient
and responsible government in our
democracy.

7. Drawing an analogy…
Communication interface and reach evolves:
PD: Our voice and our sense of hearing are interfaces as well.

8. What’s evolving?
• Scientific and technological advances
may create more effective, efficient,
and trustworthy interfaces to overcome
the barriers of communication and
information transfer.
But...

9. Will we be able to make the interface
disappear some day?

10. The Listener is a Canadian TV series taking place in Toronto about Toby
Logan (Craig Olejnik), a young paramedic who can hear other people’s
thoughts.

11. Charles Francis Xavier1 (also known as Professor X) is a fictional
character from the Marvel Universe. He is one of the most powerful
mutants in the world and he is the founder and leader of the X-Men. As
telepathist, Xavier can read and control the human mind. His scientific
genious has allowed him to become a major authority in the fields of
genetics, mutation, and psychic powers.

12. Just one more step in our genetic evolution
would allow us to question the importance of
having an interface for the sake of
communication.
• Telepathy is often dealt with by ufology, novels, and fictional films.
• Its existence is not accepted by the vast majority of the scientific community.
• If it was possible, they would not accept that this process could ever get to take
place with no technological mediation.
Telekinesis (from Greek τήλε, tēle, «far» y κίνησις, kínēsis, «movement»), within the
framework of parapsychology and other pseudo-sciences connected with the study
of paranormal activities, stands for that phenomenom consisting in moving objects
from the distance with no known physical medium.
Despite the fact that many scholars hold that many experiments on
telekinesis have been carried out, its existence is not accepted by the
scientific community.

13. What to do while we
wait for this?

14. We may “EVOLVE” the model
http://www.activatingdemocracy.com

15. There does not seem to be any technological or scienfic obstacle
We have all the elements required, we only need to re-organize them
Technology could be our ally
http://www.activatingdemocracy.com

16. Pero...
http://www.activatingdemocracy.com

17. It appears we are creating a new “class”
“Brick” political parties resist change.
Our rulers think we have the capacity
to elect them every so often, but,
according to them, we seem to lack the
capacity to actively foresee or decide
about our own future.

18. The current political market can only offer “bricks”,
while citizens are already starting to demand
“smartphones.”
http://toyoutome.es/blog/la-evolucion-de-los-telefonos-moviles/5649
Pero…

19. Be them polical parties, bricks, smartphones, or
“X,” any modern democratic model (or similar)
seems to require the existence of an interface
bringing together governments and citizens.
If these political parties (“X”) did not exist,
we would only have to invent them.
Vote
Consult
Propose
Revoke
Dismiss
Resign

20. Lagged political market

21. Our demands are listened to.
Even without asking for it,
companies compete to offer
us new functions that may
enable them to get more
users. Advancements allow
us to be more competitive,
to be faster when taking
desicions, and to enhance
society as such.
Companies and
entrepreneurs actively listen
to their potential users. New
functions, requirements, and
interfaces are generated
accordingly. It they do not
evolve, other companies will
take their place.
Socio-economical
model

22. Traditional political parties
won’t evolve, «newly shaped
political parties» begin to
appear to appeal to those
outraged citizens wanting
something new.
Traditional political parties
do no listen to our demands.
Neither do they propose any
change or function that may
appeal to us in an effective
fashion.
Democratic
model

23. We could say that our democratic model includes
scientific and technological advances more slowly than
our socio-economical model does.
Technological advances
Socio-economical model
Modelo Democrático

24. We’ve moved from faction parties
•
Groups centered around an idea or following a
especific leader with the sole target of obtaining
power for the sake of self-benefit.
To parliamentary parties
•
Groups formed in representative assemblies in
accordance to common ideas that do not intend to
increase in number, but they seek to gather within
their bounds an exclusive social elite.
And nowadays we move around…

25. «Election parties»
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reduced number of politically active members
Less partisan activity between elections
Increased importance of electoral campaigns
Greater importance ascribed to the personal traits of
the party leader than the ideological aspects of the
whole party
Ideologically speaking, parties tend to be located
around the center, which brings about less ideological
conflict among them
Highly relevant role played by social media,
especially TV during electoral campaigns
Political parties are electoral machines

26. All in all…
• Political parties need a faster,
more manageable, and more
adaptable new interface.
• Maybe they should «remove
some buttons», redesign its
hardware, rewrite its software,
etc., they should even «pivot»
around its business model.
• In conclusion, they should
«connect» with citizens again.

27. A RECENT EXAMPLE

29. This is the process of removing buttons, redesigning
hardware, and rewriting software, it’s all about
reinventing a brick to give birth to a smartphone.
•
•
•
•
•
Primary elections open for citizens over 16 years old, unlocked
lists, immigrants could be given the right to vote in local
elections, etc.
All those holding public and organic office will leave their post
in case they get tried.
Banning donations to political parties coming from private
companies.
Redifining the role of the supporter, s/he will be able to vote in
the open primary elections and will be asked to show a certain
degree of commitment.
Setting up a transparency portal.

30. They would be here «pivoting» (that is, looking for a program that can actually
connect with citizens) to “execute it” and obtain more benefit (that is, winning
more elections)
Let us picture an App Store, in which parties (smartphones) share
their “apps” (proposals and program), competing for users to
download them and use them (voters).
•
•
•
•
Tax reform for those earning less than 16000 Euros
Right to access water and power to any citizen
Austerity, transparency and exemplary nature exercised by the Royal Family
Religión should be taught only outside schools and the government should
stop funding the Church.
• No reprive for those committing corruption offenses
• Banning “ultra” politics
• Constitutional right to healt care
We get to…
Smartphone parties , parties as
platforms.
But…

31. There’s still a tough road ahead of them

32. There’s still a tough road ahead of them

33. ANALYSIS OF DEMAND DATA
ROAD TO THE SMARTPHONE PARTY

34. Spotting demands and covering them cost money
Nokia invests in R&D almost five times more than Apple does
Pero…

35. «Functionality» of TRANSPARENCY is under demand

36. «Functionality» of TRANSPARENCY is under demand
http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2013/02/09/actualidad/1360440712_828853.html

37. The alternatives:
A.- Force them to detailfully reveal their books by law.
B.- Wait for all those not adding the transparency
functionality to get cast out of the political scene
naturally. We users (voters) will be the ones kicking
them out if we deem such an atribute as essential in
order for us to trust and vote any given political party
(that is, if the political market demands it).
I don’t want it unless it features a touchscreen!

38. Some others create their own “functionalities” even
before they are demanded.

39. They take the risk to…
…attract and connect with voters in the
“political market”

40. If it succeeds, competitors will come after you
They will mimic the leader of the
“political market” so they can compete
and stay in the market.

41. You cannot buy/copy innovation and
expect it to work out.
Investing more does not necessarily
mean that you will «connect» more
with «users».

42. FUNDING
ROAD TO THE SMARTPHONE PARTY

43. There are many funding models for
political parties throughout the world.
In the course of History, none of them has been completely free of
suspicion when it comes to illegal funding or corruption!

44. Any political party
But…

45. Political parties as public utilities, 2004 Ingrid van Biezen
There seems to be no flawless formula

46. Political parties as public utilities, 2004 Ingrid van Biezen

48. We can also see cases such as
Switzerland’s, where political parties
do not get any public funds or where
there are no checking rules.
Finland and Sweeden lack the same
checking rules, which forces political
parties to rely on voluntary
agreements instead of on their
national legislative system

49. There seems to be no relation
between the financial power of
political parties and democracy
and corruption perception
indexes.

50. Democracy Index
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Dndice_de_democracia

51. Corruption Perceptions Index
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Dndice_de_Percepci%C
3%B3n_de_Corrupci%C3%B3n

52. Then, why should we regulate funding?
There is a two-fold historic demand:
1.- To keep parties (and their elected
representatives) protected, as much as possible,
from the corporate lobbying that derives from
depending economically on other centers of
power.
2.- To guarantee the principle of equal
opportunities for all political parties on their
electoral competition, which would then imply the
democratic structuring of the representative
bodies for the public will (political pluralism).

53. What are their sources of income, anyway?
1.- Public funding, be it direct or indirect.
2.- Self-funding, which may come from
membership fees, from their own revenues,
from publications and other activities, or from
donors such as public officials or candidates.
3.- Private funding, which comes from credits
and loans, business activities, and even from
opaque revenues.

54. * These figures do not include items such as subventions after electoral
spendings or after representations in local, regional or European elections.
http://www.extraconfidencial.com/articulos.asp?idarticulo=11681
How much money do they receive?

55. Are they on their way to become
a Smartphone political party?

56. Are they on their way to become a Smartphone political party?
According to the Court of Auditors, in 2011, 17 political parties were found in a state
of negative equity, that is, in a state of technical bankruptcy.
Unió Democràtica de Catalunya. 11.288.910 euros.
Convergencia i Unió. 10.184.954 euros.
Izquierda Unida. 8.520.508 euros.
BNG. 3.471.348 euros.
Izquierda Unida Convocatoria por Andalucía. 3.233.938 euros.
Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds. 3.166.813 euros.
Izquierda Unida de la Comunidad de Madrid. 1.805.312 euros.
Bloc Nacionalista Valencià]]. 1.167.319 euros.
Chunta Aragonesista. 614.400 euros.
Unión, Progreso y Democracia. 581.658 euros.
Partido Aragonés. 545.431 euros.
Amaiur. 439.279 euros.
Esquerra Unida del País Valencià. 304.724 euros.
Esquerra Unida i Alternativa. 154.492 euros.
Geroa Bai. 135.623 euros.
Coalición Canaria. 109.642 euros.
Esquerra Unida de les Illes Balears. 59.950 euros.
http://wiki.15m.cc/wiki/Financiaci%C3%B3n_de_partidos_pol%C3%ADticos

57. FIRST STEPS
ROAD TO THE SMARTPHONE PARTY

58. All proposals aim at:
Regulating donations
Increasing transparency
Getting more Estate funding
They won’t even come to an agreement regarding this,
since any proposed reform could always be perceived as a
disadvantage for the “brick” parties we currently have.

59. We are now moving onto the stage of
utopias, paradigms, and visionaries.

60. Bruce Ackerman suggests the following:
Each year, each citizen could be given a kind of debit card called “patriot card,” the author
would rather call it “democratic card.”
Each card would contain the same amount of money and it could only be used to fund
political parties and their candidates.
It sounds like a credit card from an App Store!
A candidate accepting funds by means of this system could not accept funds coming from
other sources. According to the author, other than encouraging political parties to undermine
the institution of private donations, this system would help political parties get rid of the need
to find other sources of income. The author advocates for an initial amount of 50$ per citizen.
Let us assume all citizens are given 50 euros
in their cards, 35,7 elegible voters in Spain
would make up a totalling amount of
1.875.000.000 million Euros.

61. Power Inquiry puts forward something similar
Power Inquiry puts forward five-euro worth «vote vouchers» that each citizen can
deposit onto the account of the candidate s/he wishes to support.
This kind of looks like a groupon to me...
«Vote vouchers» can be useful at a given time.
The «democratic card» system allows you to credit your
candidate’s account at any point of the year..
The democratic card offers more control to voters in the sense that
s/he is provided with more time for reflection while it may also
increase voter turnout.
It is similar to an App Store and to the amount of
time you spend analysing and finding new apps
before buying and/or installing them.

62. Citizens’ Assembly in British Columbia
Citizens’ Assembly is composed of randomly selected citizens, two from each
of the province’s 79 electoral districts (one man and one woman). They debate
and reflect about how to enhance the quality of life of those they represent
even by reforming the funding system used by political parties. After the
selection process, they start a “learning phase” in which they are shown the
pros and cons of different electoral systems by experts in the field.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens'_Assembly_on_Electoral_Reform_(British_Columbia)

63. So?
The road from brick to smartphone does not
seem like an uncomplicated one

64. “Utopia is on the horizon. If
I take two paces, she walks
away two paces and the
horizon moves ten paces
further.
Then,
what’s
utopia for? Just for that, it
makes us walk.”
Eduardo Galeano

65. YES, BUT HE IS A WRITER!
ALLRIGHT, LET’S USE THIS ONE

66. «A politician that is
not after utopia is
but a mere idea
dealer»
Adolfo Suárez
Former Prime Minister of Spain

67. Thank you very much!
Pablo Díaz
@pablodc