Really. If you want to know what's wrong with our political system treat OpenUpNow.org with some suspicion.
Writing in today's Guardian, John Lloyd, a comedy writer (I jest not), claims:
One way to change the kind of MP we get is by changing the way the candidates are selected. At the moment this is controlled by local party associations – in themselves semi-professional politicians who are quite happy with the status quo – and by the central party machine which frequently parachutes party researchers and spin doctors into safe seats where they have no connection with the constituency.
Sorry, John you need to check your facts. You will find that local and central party organisation are often at loggerheads. The underlying problem is a lack of public appreciation about democracy and the effort required at a local level by volunteers to enable it to function. Start with the LabOUR Commission report and you will begin to sense what dwindling members of the Labour Party are up against.