Misplaced party loyalty

There are those who vote for their preferred political party out of blind loyalty; this is one of the features of democracy, of course, but it shows poor quality of thought. Loyalty to a sporting club or other social group has no downside for the larger community, even if the club loses every match it plays.

A vote in a democracy is a valuable power for the citizen and it should not be squandered so thoughtlessly. If the party in question offers a set of policies that its supporters do not believe are the right policies for the broader community, or worse, a ruling party’s performance in power is such that it is damaging the state or national community, its supporters would be better citizens to vote against that party.

My party right or wrong is not a display of loyalty but a display of foolishness. My country right or wrong has even bigger hazards in some cases, notably where the country is ruled by despots and tyrants.

Party loyalty is not automatically commendable in a democracy; primary loyalty to the broader community is a more desirable criterion.

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