tis party season

Political parties seem (to me) to be to politics what the concept of 'ideologies' is to political theory. They hem people in, associate certain views on economics with certain views on social liberties, on foreign policy. Societal pressure forces people to self-identify with one party or another - are you red or blue? The use of such contrasting colours in all manner of discourses is worrying. Surely people should be able to choose on each issue for themselves? I suppose this is a recipe for anarchy - a million voters and a million candidates - but is that not a better road to compromise than two entrenched parties populated by unwilling soldiers who don't believe in either cause? At least the million candidates would be passionate! The political party as an institution of convenience must be destroyed (perhaps this is a little too melodramatic). Transcendental political individualism is paradoxically the road to unity.