This week the Likud is set to decide whether to take away primary voting power from its members and give the power for deciding the Likud Knesset list to the members of the Central Committee, or not.

The issue is a heated debate, with powerful people on each side of the argument.

My argument is simple.

The oly benefit I am aware of to being a member of the Likud is the ability ti gives me to vote in primaries, to think I have some sort of power in making the Likud list representative of me and of every other Likud member, and thereby making the non-representative government somewhat representative. At least I know the people chose the Likud list (along with that of a couple of other parties). To me that is worth the 45 or so NIS per year it costs to be a member.

If they take that away from us Likud members and put the power of selecting the Likud list for Knesset in the hands of the Central Committee members, what reason will I have to remain a member of the Likud? Why would I pay the annual fee? What benefit would I get from being a Likud member? I can still vote Likud (or not) without being a member, so why be a member with no benefit or power?

I figure that if they vote to take away our primary voting power, there will be a mass cancellation of Likud memberships pretty quickly. Besides for losing all that money, it will be a big blow to the Likud, the ruling party, to lose all those members. It seems pretty simple to me.