A new series of The Sunday Supplement examines ways to revive Britain's ailing political parties. Geoff Mulgan, Tony Blair's former head of policy at Downing Street, argues that despite big falls in their membership, our democracy still needs strong political parties.
Geoff Mulgan, who now runs a think tank, the Young Foundation, traces the decline of traditional party-based politics and suggests ways in which it can be revived.
In the second part, Geoff Mulgan explains why parties, especially those on the centre-right, can help overcome deep divisions in societies which are coping with the effects of large scale immigration.