In any story of today’s political disorders, this should be no subplot. At least since World War II, the West has been defined by its party system: different in each place but usually involving a duopoly of ruling parties fringed by smaller outfits, each robustly anchored in society. The system was the groundwork on which Western political life was built — unobtrusive, unremarked upon, yet quietly essential.
~ Anton Jäger via The New York Times

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