The quality of our parliamentary candidates

It's time to examine parliamentary hopefuls with greater scrutiny, given the recent controversy surrounding Labour's Azhar Ali.

For major parties like the Conservatives, Labour, and the Liberal Democrats, this selection process often involves local party branches holding meetings or votes to choose a candidate. The selected candidate then stands for election in the general election or other relevant electoral contests. New parties, like Reform UK, expect their candidates to agree with the national party's core principles and a range of policies, including reform of the UK economy, the public sector and major institutions.

The internal process of political parties should be rigorous, ensuring that only the most qualified and capable candidates are put forward to represent their party and the people they serve.

Given the substantial number of candidates hoping for selection in parliamentary elections, there is likely an element of corruption or cronyism, resulting in a diversity of 'bad eggs'. Candidates need no qualifications or experience to stand, and you would at least expect the major political parties to 'filter out' those without the aptitude or ability.

It is essential that individuals be provided the right environment to elect the person they believe will best represent their local concerns in parliament. Despite this, our two main parties continue to perpetuate the myth that your choice is binary. This leads to the selection of candidates for these parties when their personal beliefs do not align with the party's stated policies or principles, solely for the purpose of achieving electoral victory. 

Based solely on observation, it can be seen that major parties are comprised of numerous factions, despite the public perception that there are only two parties.

The solution is clearly in the public hand, as the main stream political parties have no interest in changing the voting system. The process of electing the most suitable individual is the most effective means for the populace to alter the system. However, it necessitates engaging in politics and comprehending the issues, if not the solutions.