UK: Harsh Republican platform

The Guardian

Harsh Republican convention platform opens window to the soul of the party

The GOP platform is more hardline than ever, and while it's a lot of posturing, at least some of it may prove significant

Humans used to have tails, but all that's left is a vestigial coccyx. American political conventions used to choose presidential candidates, but now they are televised coronations.

The vestigial tail of the American political convention is the compilation and approval of the party's platform, a long document listing a rag-bag of policies that excite the party activists and is swiftly forgotten.

Since platforms are not binding on party candidates, they are merely symbolic. They do however offer a window into a party's soul, a combination of wishlist, base stroking and vote-grabbing.

Read it at The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2012/aug/24/republican-convention-platform-party-soul