ABSTRACT
The presenter at this session was Professor Philip Norton, Professor of Government at the University of Hull. Political parties are the bedrock of most, if not all, countries which have representative institutions. While the concept of political parties is not new - they may be said to have their origins in the rival factions which fought each other long before there were truly representative assemblies - the growth of modem political parties, formed on the basis of policies and principles by which they could be readily identified, paralleled the evolution of the popular franchise. Some parties are broad coalitions of opinion whose members adhere to certain common ideas and principles; others are formed around narrower and more specific policy themes, admitting fewer shades of difference among its members. Whatever their form, they were shaped by the necessity of appeal ing to an electorate.
