They demonstrate an alienation of the party from the electorate and this
impacts directly on our ability to campaign in communities and to fight and win
elections. We have lost more than half our membership in the last 10 years and
more than 1,000 good councillors in the last 12 months. These things are
inextricably connected.
The LibDems are thought to have around 70,000 members, while the Conservatives have around 250,000 members (I think, although I stand to be corrected!
22 comments:
Labour members have indeed been slumping dramatically of late. I understand Mr Prescott was concerned about this, before his recent indisposition of course.
No party can be proud at the size of its membership base, given the size of the population. Neither do they seem bothered enough to actually try and revitalise their membership bases. Maybe this is because they feel independant minded members may not be so on message and media friendly.
Has anyone does a postcode search to see how many members the parties have in common ?
It's always a good idea to support a political party - in a good natured way.
All parties need support, the Labour Party being the most needy at the moment. So twy and give Mr Blair the benefit of the doubt and pop over to the Labour website.
Mr Bwown seems like a nice man. Twy to see behind that dour facade, for, behind it is a cheewy demeanour, devoid of recwrimination and wancour.
Mr Camerwon needs a boost too. And so does old Mr Camp Bell. It is all so confusing, weally.
I miss Mrs Thatcher. She was a superherwo.
The great mystery has always been how was Tony Blair able to move so far to the right but retain his traditional support .Largely this was because they had no choice and he could ignore the Party members who lived in the 1940s. It is anow a hollow shell existing solely for the purpose of retaining power
Meanwhile, the Save Bedford hospital party goes from strength to strength. Roll on the next election
It is anow a hollow shell existing solely for the purpose of retaining power
The Labour Party only ever existed to keep the Conservatives from power.
Now both main parties are going down the pan they seem to be sowing up the cartel with taxpayers' cash to create yet further barriers to new entrants.
with all your new facebook friends Iain you'll soon have more 'members' than all these parties put together!
Well I tried to join Labour online before Blair announced his resignation, but given that I haven't heard anything from them, no direct debit going out of my account and no deputy leadership ballot papers I'd guess they can't think the membership problem is too serious.
Who would want to admit to being a member of the labour party.
They should have kicked Blair out some years ago. It is totaly weak and inefectual in allowing Blair to by pass the party in his doings.
Thats why they want party funding by us the tax payer so they can be even more distant from the real world.
Dave should note and inwardly digest.
We do not have 250,000 anymore.
When Cameron came in there was an initial rise and then a huge drop in membership. I think we lost about 30k but it's hard to really know as the party will not even let the party members know the truth!
Isn't there quite a long tail on these numbers. The parties all tend to keep lapsed members on their books for a year or two for statistical purposes on the argument that the lapsed members may get arond to paying their subscriptions - even though many of them left in disgust.
The obvious conclusion is that none of the 3 are effective national organisations anymore. In 10 years a political system that effectively excluded any national challenge has been dismantled by the appalling behaviour of NuLab and to a lesser extent the opposition (or lack of it). It is now a realistic proposition for a 4th national party to emerge that could actually win.
With the Labour Party dead and buried, the LibDems with nothing to say and the Tory Party offering blair-lite surely focus should be on attracting those who no longer vote.
A right wing party, promising to withdraw from Europe, halting economic migration, reversal of our interventionist foreign policy, promising small government, offering a return to individual responsibility headed by someone trusted who would talk openly about the problems we face could win the next GE.
May seem mad now but imagine the mood after 3 more years of this criminal government and a weaker economy.
And still...
Falling membership, a diminution of representation. A lack of engagement with the electorate.
I know lets tax them into supporting us from general taxation!
Trebles all round.
I was Manchester Central constituency delegate to Conference in 2005. We took a resolution about the membership numbers, voter losses, councillor and council losses and Blair. But it was spiked. They said there were three items on the agenda where I could talk about it. In the event I only got on the platform to demand that Walter be invited to speak from the platform - instead of Baroness Amos and Lord Faulkner lecturing us about engaging with the electorate - something they had never had to do.
I predict a big even a huge membership bounce under Brown. There are a couple of million levy paying Trade Unionists out there as well don't forget.
Where I live there are some card carrying Tories who are in it for the snooker (though yes I know this is not an inevitable link). Labour has largely lost the link with Labour movment Social Clubs.
Dear Chris Paul,
The trade unionists you mention have NO choice in contributing to the labour party! Money is taken out and given away without members consent. Its just a small example of the leftist anti democratic ways. Another is to put up three or four candidates for election who have the same agenda and are put forward by the union bosses so it does not matter who wins. In effect it is rigged! It seems the whole purpose of a trade union is to have an obedient mass of worker drones to push a marxist agenda. The way that the unions are pushing very hard for unlimited third world immigration and unlimited migrant amnesty shows up their true agenda.
realconservative party writes: "A right wing party, promising to withdraw from Europe, halting economic migration, reversal of our interventionist foreign policy, promising small government, offering a return to individual responsibility headed by someone trusted who would talk openly about the problems we face could win the next GE."
That's called UKIP and it polls about 1% of the vote. Britain isn't a hard right-wing nation just waiting for a hard right-wing party.
The more alarming statistic is the active membership which is approx 10% of the membership.
To be fair to all parties though, it is not just politics that has seen a drain of volunteers.
In almost every walk of life, the voluntary sector is in need of more support.
For most of them, it will be a matter of incentives given to encourage participation, but politics may be a harder nut to crack.
Why have the Tories suffered a loss when they couldn't be any nicer? Labour have delivered in every respect,so why the drop?
Politicians have been made to be dishonourable and the public choose no guilt by association.
And yet as Michael white has pointed out, 'they are the most honourable because they can be voted out'. Unlike a journalist, I suppose.
This is a deeper subject than thinking only decent rats leave early.
Gary
I'll donate a hundred quid to the Conservatives if they call for a referendum on an English Parliament, even if they campaign for a no vote.
This ties in with Blair's speech about how dreadful the media are (except when they are nice to him) & his subsequent admission that he had to suck up to Murdoch because political parties are no longer mass movements & therefore need the MSM to contact people. This despite the fact that newspaper sales are also falling.
Meanwhile I note that your monthly hits compare closely with the Tories claimed total membership. I think we can see the net as a possible instument, perhaps the only possible instrument, to revitalise democracy.
Most people now only get involved in public affairs when they want something. E-petitions (both the Blair and Cameron varieties) encourage people to believe that their selfish demands will be met without them having to actually contribute anything to public life.
The traditional way of influencing opinion - joining a party, meeting people, standing for election - is too much trouble nowadays it seems.
We need to seed in society the idea that having your opinions listened to is a reward for doing public service.
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