Government Affairs Blog

Membership of political parties

Membership of political parties has been on the decline for quite a while.  This is used by many to claim that the electorate are no longer interested in the political process.  Add in the fall in turnout at elections and it seems one has a compelling case.

Of course, we all know that membership of pressure groups is on the up.  Apparently, the RSPB has more members than all three main political parties put together. 

Some commentators wonder if a decline in membership of parties really matters.  Perhaps it is simply an indication that people are fairly content with their lives and are not looking for change. 

There is another potential reason.  People assume that the three parties broadly reflect the views of the voters in Britain.  But what if they don’t?  Or perhaps more accurately what if they do but in the wrong way?

The Conservative party says it will abolish ID cards.  So do the Liberal Democrats.  Cameron’s Conservatives also says it will bring back tax benefits for married couples.  What if you agree with one policy but not the other? 

If you want to see ID cards scrapped do you join the Liberal Democrats with the knowledge that it is highly improbably they will become the next Government or do you join the Conservatives and hold your nose over the married couples’ policy?  The problem works the other way round too.  What if you think ID cards are essential for the security of the country but rather like the Conservatives views on marriage?

Parties will always be broad churches.  The voters can’t expect that their political shopping list will perfectly match the manifesto of a political party.  If that is what you want you would need to form your own party and stop anyone else from joining.

One way to avoid the dilemma is find a pressure group that reflects your view on a particular issue and join it.  And this is what people seem to be doing.

To combat this all three parties need to ask how consistent their policies are.  They may find that part of the reason for political party membership apathy is not apathy at all but a realisation that the parties aren’t reflecting how voters see the world.

Simon Goldie is Head of Communication at The Chartered Institute of Taxation – www.tax.org.uk - and a member of the CIPR GAG committee