Lessons of chaos: The outcome of the Slovak referendum

Lessons of chaos: The outcome of the Slovak referendum

The primary objective of a political party is to gain power. As an organization, a party’s focus must be on acquiring and exercising political power.

I remember the first time I learned about this in my intro to politics class at university I was somewhat surprised. But once explained, it made perfect sense. Individual people that are part of the party, might and actually should have other goals and convictions but the party itself as an organization is made for that purpose. And the parties that are losing sight of this or sometimes even deny it, they lose all their chance of ever coming to power. I would even argue that this is one of the reasons why authoritarian figures can be so successful. They understand this and do everything to get power. By the way, that last point is also the reason why power cannot be the only focus of the individual but a collective of individuals. Because one person can and will get tired, worn out, or shift their focus to their own dealings. But the party as a whole must stay vigilant, agile, and constantly ready. Not just internally, but externally, as well. But what does this have to do with the, in the end invalid, Slovak referendum of January 21st?