DA 'swallowing' other parties: FF Plus

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The Democratic Alliance's "swallowing" of other parties results in many anti-ANC votes which would go to the Independent Democrats and Agang SA being lost, the FF Plus said on Monday.

"The DA's way is to merge with other parties while the DA still retains its identity," Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said in a statement.

"Often this method only succeeds in accommodating the leaders without the supporters of these parties overwhelmingly supporting the merger."

The failure of the DA-Agang SA merger proved this.

Mulder said co-operation between opposition parties was essential to end the African National Congress's dominant position in the country, but the question was what type of co-operation was best.

On Sunday, the DA announced that Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele had gone back on an agreement to stand as the DA's presidential candidate.

Both Zille and Ramphele held separate press briefings on Monday to explain what happened.

Ramphele said the decision was rushed into and the technical issues of a partnership were never ironed out.

Zille, on the other hand, disagreed.

On Sunday, Zille lashed out at Ramphele, accusing her of playing cat and mouse games.

The African People's Convention on Monday said the deal between the DA and Agang SA had nothing to do with a desire to change the political landscape for the good of the country.

"It was an elitist agreement of personal friendship which failed at that level," APC president Themba Godi said in a statement.

"APC condemns DA for using black people to protect white interest. What Ramphele has done was political fronting of note."

Godi called on those who believed they had been misled into joining Agang SA to vote for the APC.


Source : Sapa /gq/jk/ar
Date : 03 Feb 2014 13:07
 
So was this statement some sort of political lecture of absolutely no consequence or is he actually trying to say something?
 
And the problem is?

Uhm, the first sentence states what the problem is...

The Democratic Alliance's "swallowing" of other parties results in many anti-ANC votes which would go to the Independent Democrats and Agang SA being lost, the FF Plus said on Monday.

He has a point. IMO, historically speaking all parties that have been absorbed by a bigger one, have never had the unanimous support of their constituents. Think of the ANC/NP merger for one, leaders get incorporated into ANC, but supporters split into many parties. Those people have either found political homes or not, it cant be said for sure, so their votes are indeed "lost".

Democracy would have been better served if those parties continued their respective existances and grown their bases. If they had, ANC would have battled to keep 50%+, but thats just my opinion, no stats to back it up
 
Uhm, the first sentence states what the problem is...



He has a point. IMO, historically speaking all parties that have been absorbed by a bigger one, have never had the unanimous support of their constituents. Think of the ANC/NP merger for one, leaders get incorporated into ANC, but supporters split into many parties. Those people have either found political homes or not, it cant be said for sure, so their votes are indeed "lost".

Democracy would have been better served if those parties continued their respective existances and grown their bases. If they had, ANC would have battled to keep 50%+, but thats just my opinion, no stats to back it up

Expecting unanimous support for anything is setting the bar far too high already. And seems to me the DA weren't trying to absorb Agang - they wanted Ramphele without absorbing Agang, knowing that the support-base for Agang was founded on Ramphele's name to begin with...
 
Expecting unanimous support for anything is setting the bar far too high already. And seems to me the DA weren't trying to absorb Agang - they wanted Ramphele without absorbing Agang, knowing that the support-base for Agang was founded on Ramphele's name to begin with...

Yes they did...

It is easy now to gaze into the rear view mirror to see where it all went wrong. Perhaps we shouldn’t have agreed to her insistence that we announce the next day. Our agreement was clear and unambiguous. I wrote it down and repeated it twice: “Dr Ramphele will become the DA’s Presidential Candidate and a technical task team will manage the incorporation of Agang’s branches, members, and volunteers into the DA”. There has never been any dispute that this was the agreement. Last night Mamphela accepted that this was our agreement, but she could not bring her party on board. That is the real reason why this failed.

From ghoti's new thread...

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/594217-Helen-Zille-Looking-Forward
 
I see, thanks for that. Not sure whey insisted on that route, and I also don't understand why Ramphele would accept being the DA presidential candidate while not belonging to the party. Complete lunacy, all around...
 
We have way too many parties. This helps the biggest one as all the other little idiots fight for their own mandate and dilute the vote.
Why not just 2 like in the US. One ruling party one proper opposition party.
Maybe a 3rd just to stir things up a little ;)
 
We have way too many parties. This helps the biggest one as all the other little idiots fight for their own mandate and dilute the vote.
Why not just 2 like in the US. One ruling party one proper opposition party.
Maybe a 3rd just to stir things up a little ;)

Our respective political ideologies can not be represnted by one or two parties. The ANC and DA themselves are battling to balance the various ideologies.
 
We have way too many parties. This helps the biggest one as all the other little idiots fight for their own mandate and dilute the vote.
Why not just 2 like in the US. One ruling party one proper opposition party.
Maybe a 3rd just to stir things up a little ;)

Two parties is a consequence of a FPTP system. Which we do not have
 
Dur, by definition ALL political parties are interested in power.
What would be the point of a poltical party that wasn't interested in power?

Thats my problem with political parties in general. They will wheel and deal in whichever way that ensures their survival to the detriment of the core values that they were founded upon.

Political parties should stand for principles and not be popular social club where various compromises are made...
 
Thats my problem with political parties in general. They will wheel and deal in whichever way that ensures their survival to the detriment of the core values that they were founded upon.

Political parties should stand for principles and not be popular social club where various compromises are made...

Good luck with starting your own party then.
 
Indeed, lets all vote for the ANC as they are not only interested in power!!!

What he said was true. What does that have to do with the ANC? Or do you equate criticising the DA with promoting the ANC???
 
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