A party out of power is like a hot air balloon that is falling vertically: if the initial attempts to regain altitude are unsuccessful, it must shed weight until the fall stops and altitude is regained.

The longer a party remains out of power, the more its policies must change; organizational change is often a prerequisite for political change, as the supports of those groups that are attached to the old policies are undermined.

.[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]