The changes to the Progressive Labour Party's constitution look, on the face of it, like a victory for democracy and grassroots activists.

But it's not that simple.

To be sure, the changes on candidate selection, by which candidates will be approved by the party's campaign committee and then a candidate is selected by a branch looks good.

In fact, the selection process is a near-carbon copy of the way the United Bermuda Party used to select its candidates, with a primary election being held when there was more than one candidate.

And it means that a central committee or Party leader can no longer parachute in a candidate, impose one on a branch or force a branch to keep a sitting MP who is not doing anything.

But the process stops being worthwhile if a branch is too small or gets taken over by extremists.

In that context, the US Presidential primaries are a good example of the pitfalls of this kind of system. Because only party loyalists – and they tend to be a little more extreme than the average voter – are likely to vote in presidential primaries, winning candidates tend to come from the extremes of their parties as well.

That keeps the loyalists happy, but often means that the party's candidate is not that appealing to swing or moderate voters. That's why US candidates are often seen moderating their positions after winning primaries and entering a general election.

By the same token, when the British Labour Party was in danger of being taken over by left wing extremists in the 1980s, moderate MPs and candidates were often "deselected" and replaced by more extreme candidates who made that party unelectable.

And there were certainly times when primary elections in the UBP resulted in the selection of candidates who were less useful than their rivals on a national level.

So the PLP may wish to exercise some care over candidate selection.

Sensibly, the party rejected another change – to make candidates for the leadership put their names months ahead of the party conference.

The main reason for dropping it was that in the event of a challenge, a Cabinet Minister or Ministers would have to resign long before the vote.

But the decision also means that potential challengers do not get "smoked out" long before they are ready for a challenge.

This will avoid the necessity of a months-long campaign for the leadership which could be an unnecessary distraction from governing.

There must be a great many people who are concerned about youth violence and disaffected young people who feel there is nothing they can do to effect change.

They are wrong. They can mentor. It may not stop violence and alienation today, but it can do a great deal to stop it in the future.

This week, the Sunshine League, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Youthnet are all appealing for adults to come forward to help young people.

All need more help, and for a small sacrifice in time, you can make a difference.