Asked what he had done to help in a recent marginal by-election, one replied, “Oh, I knew there would be enough of you lot running around for me not to have to bother.”
After decades of decline, the membership figures of the main political parties are on the rise. But will it make a difference?
McLoughlin brings in cut-price and free tickets.
Lord Woolton (pictured right) was the greatest-ever, rebuilding the Conservatives after the war. But here are my favourite five.
I believe that officers at all levels should be elected at a general meeting following as soon as is practical after a general election.
Plus, what kind of Brexit do you want? And how do you rate the performance of each member of the Cabinet so far?
I strongly support the move in principle, but there are serious questions about the practical implications for standing orders, data and income.
Those calling for a wholesale review of the national selection rules should put forward alternatives better than the arrangements we have currently in place.
To turn Lord Denning on his head, Brexit is like “an incoming tide flowing up the estuaries of England”.
Either we widen the membership of political parties and change the way they are funded, or the next stop will be a UK-style Donald Trump.
We need a centrally-administered system of membership – like other professional, UK-wide organisations – if we are to be a modern organised entity.
An old-fashioned, minimalist approach to information gathering is not enough to keep us properly engaged with the electorate.
There is a danger that we will focus the new programme on technical skills, when what we really lack are the “soft skills” needed to maintain a voluntary organisation.
Once explained, I immediately understood the need to change – but also the need to explain that change to our volunteers if we were going to make it a success.
A more integral role for young people, a greater focus on skills and empowerment, and a better approach to soliciting donations.