Democratic capitalism could have the same said about it.

There are those who thrive under hypercompetition and atrophy with a kind word.

There are those who thrive in cooperative scenarios and feel beaten up in dog-eat-dog environments.

The trick to 'square the circle' is??

Rhys Jaggar, Leeds, UK

As long as we don't have proportional representation we might as well go for 2 parties, plus the nationalist lot (SNP, Plaid Cymru, maybe UKIP) to add a bit of variety. Merging Labour and the Lib Dems is the best way to do this I suppose. If we want representation and actual democracy, go for PR.

James, London,

Lets have lots of parties to get consensus in politics instead of one step forward one step back of the two opposition partys weighted system. Or have electronic voting and do away with all parties and let the civil service do our bidding, and have a virtual designer Prime Minister.

john bentley, Loule , Portugal

Having three parties is a good idea. It upsets the balance, adds to uncertainty and crucially, makes politicians engage in that most progressive of activities "thinking". No party can take its support for granted nor can it assume it has a right to rule. It prevents extremism which is a good thing.

John Small, Faversham, UK

A duo-monolithic state? How on earth is that democratic? If anything there ought to be more parties (with better media coverage). 6 million people voted LD at the last election, whether Fink likes it or not.

I agree on "progressive", which most lefties think is synonymous with "statist".

Matt, Liverpool,

"Abolish a pointless party and save the Left"

Why on earth would we want to save the left? They have ruined this country and their demise is all i yearn for. The left have caused untold damage to the UK (along with the corrupt EU) and the removal of them permanently would make my day.

Zordana, Bucks, England

The Lib dems should disband and pin their allegences to the party closest to their beliefs so we have 2 patries Labour and tory with a more defined difference and clearer policies

Dave Farmer, Broxbourne, England

I've got to say that, even though I disagree with about 90% of the Lib Dems' platform, I always thought they should be the other main party, instead of Labour. At least they seem competent and know what they stand for, unlike the weak-minded Labour collective, relying on PR men and union money.

James, Newcastle,

After 11 years of hugely damaging socialism, surely anything that splits the left wing vote and ousts these cretins from leading the coutry is a GOOD thing?

Jon Leigh, Southern, France

I agree with Mr Lester that "progressive" is not an appropriate description. I also dislike the left's appropriation of the term "liberal" when in fact they are the opposite.

Martin, Newmarket, Suffolk

I am no lover of the lib dems or labour to that matter but a two party state, two right of centre parties, sounds like disenfranchising even more voters.

Chris, Southampton,

I'm surprised that any informed person can seriously describe either new Labour as progressive or Clegg's Lib Dems as being of the liberal-left and as Cameron is merely apeing Blair, attacking Brown yet failing to offer a vision of his own, the need for radical alternatives grows by the day.

Tim Perkins, Manchester, UK

I seem toe remember the British National Party beating major parties in recent local elections. Perhaps we should not be so hasty.

B J Deller, Marbella, Spain

Anthony, I DO dislike the way the chatterocratic lefties describe themselves as "right-thinking" as though those who disagre with then are wrong.
I think that it is time for Labour to be displaced to where the Liberals were after the 1920's.
Let them use their own money for policy, not ours

Chris Davison, Middlesbrough UK, working in Abu Dhabi

To call a government that wishes to micro-manage every instant of our lives and to jerrymander our political system by employing half of society progressive, or liberal, is absurd. Labour and the Lib Dem's problem is that they remain Nationalist Socialists and we all know that is unsustainable.

Miike, London,

Loss of a party would move more debates on principle and policy within parties, rather than between parties. That weakens accountability to the electorate. We should be encouraging more parties, not fewer. This will probably lead to coalitions and weaker government - good.

John Scott, London,

No More scots for English parliment, the present lot have done untold damage

Mike, paphos, Cyprus

Hopefully it will soon be the labour party that is irrelevant. Conservatives and Liberals in power and opposition makes much more sense. Why would the liberals want to contaminate themselves with Labours poisoned chalice? Labour isnt exactly Labour anymore anyway. Blair twisted it out of recognition

chris, Prague,

Anthony Lester - whereas of course the hands off, laissez-faire approach has landed us in this current predicament, has it not?

You might do well to listen to the 'liberal lefties' every so often.

Owen, London, UK

" 'Progress' is a metaphor from merely walking along a road....quite possibly the wrong road."

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I think you've got this the wrong way around. If you want to abolish a useless party, start with the Lib Dems. Nobody votes for them, they never seem to do anything, and nobody know what - if anything - they stand for. Their vacuity makes Labour's problems look trifling.

Matthew Pallas, York, England

Daniel you need not worry because the next election will sort this lot out. We will have a Tory government and a Liberal opposition. Labour will fade away into total obscurity and by the following general election will become just a very bad memory or should that read nightmare.

D Case, Newquay,

Vince Cable is enormously over-rated. The media gave him an easy ride as acting leader., He is just an average fish in a tiny LD pond.

Jay, SE3,

John Ledbury, Kings Lynn, My sentiments exactly; they really must be allowed to exist otherwise there is no end to the damage they might cause and ZaNuLab has done enough already and with Cameron in the wings one fears for the future.

M. Cawdery, Portadown, Co. UK, EU

That is the way it has loked to me for some time. But the Unions are a deeply conservative vested interest. Don't they belong properly with the Tories?

Diversity, London,

And then there were the unions. Don't get me started about the unions>>

Yeah it's all the unions fault. Nothing to do with the super-rich. The credit crunch was the fault of the unions wasn't it.

Frank, London ,

The Tories, though, have sustained socialist ideology; big government, comprehensives, welfare state, EU takeover, demolition of local government, a Leftist BBC as the arbiter of British culture. Thus, Labour may go but their thinking will remain like AIDs and break out when the Tories lose the plot

R Mason, London, UK

Where would the amateurs, the self righteous and the childishly idealistic go if there were no LibDems?

John Ledbury, Kings Lynn, England

It is not often I agree with this commentator, but here I do. The "wandering around left of centre, clinging as close as possible to the Daily Mail middle" could be one party, then you'd have the Green Party for the genuinely progressive alternative.

Louise Benne, London,

You're absolutely right about them abandoning 'democratic socialism'. The Labour Party are about as far as you could get from democracy in terms of allowing a leadership election!

Bill, yeovil, UK

How about PR?

I always thought the Tories were closer to Labour in the last ten years than the LDs anyway.

Surely it could be a case that the author and I can both be correct and that our electoral system is merely producing the same types of party and politiicans rising through the ranks?

Jonny, London,

Harman is thinking along the same lines. Alienate male voters - remove the Labour party and move to the two party system that she is after (extremists welcome, moderates stay away). I don't like the present pandering to feminist extremists but the ' central consensus' is the better of two evils.

simon, York, England

"Its proponents seriously believed that they could easily control everything while still being democratic."

No they still think this.

And i hate the trend for liberal lefties describing themselves as 'progressive'. It implies that if you disagree with their view then you're backwards thinking!

Anthony Lester, Brum,