Consultocracy Replaces Party Politics

Updated: 2025.09.12 1M ago 2 sources
Major parties increasingly adopt corporate management playbooks—phased 'trust‑credibility‑readiness' plans, internal commissions, and 'best in class' KPIs—while deferring concrete stances on live issues. This inward, process‑first posture erodes voter connection and accelerates electoral decline because it optimizes the organization, not the agenda. — If consultocratic process crowds out public-facing ideas, democratic competition degenerates into brand maintenance and institutional self‑preservation, helping explain party collapse and voter realignment.

Sources

How Starmer clipped Labour’s wings
Jonny Ball 2025.09.12 86% relevant
The article criticizes Starmer’s government for endless 'missions, milestones, priorities' and managerial tweaks, mirroring the thesis that parties are running on corporate playbooks and process over agenda—eroding connection to voters and producing hollow governance.
The decadence of Kemi Badenoch
Alexander Pelling-Bruce 2025.09.03 100% relevant
The leaked Conservative '3+5 Plan' (2025 'rebuilding trust', 2026 'demonstrating credibility', 2027 'getting ready') and the adviser’s 'grand history' defense of inward rebuilding under Kemi Badenoch.
← Back to All Ideas