I'm curious to know what you think is the argument in favour of the primary-election system. From what I can tell, it seems to lend itself to what some might call the "hijacking" of a party — in other words, the scenario in which an individual candidate with a modest-sized but devoted following can effectively gain control of the party apparatus and dictate the platform or manifesto. A consistent set of principles or sense of identity, which is the concept I associate with a political party, seems very difficult to achieve. Not that I am saying that there should not be change, but I shuld think it better for that change to be gradual and based on consensus of people who have been affiliated with the party for a long time, rather than brought on by the irruption of new people.