During the recent ‘conference season’ media comments on the decline in trade union membership were ubiquitous – particularly with reference to British trade union movement’s high water mark of 13.3m members in 1979. However union membership continues to dwarf political party membership – which is rapidly in decline.
The Conservative Home website reports that Tory membership is down by a third to 177,000 since David Cameron became leader in December 2005:
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2010/10/tory-membership-down-by-a-third-to-177000-since-cameron-became-leader.html
Neil O’Brien of the Policy Exchange examines the constituency membership data published following the Labour leadership election which confirms that many CLP’s are hollowed out – with some key marginal constituencies having less than 200 members.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/neilobrien1/100057961/are-both-the-conservative-and-labour-parties-collapsing-and-if-so-why/
The media focus on the professional political class belies the organisational weakness of the political parties which they represent. Trade unions have a far greater (potential) capacity to mobilise members in support of our political aims. That latent power must be turned into political influence as a matter of urgency. This will require the use of innovative methods of engaging members in political action and lobbying, wherever possible pooling union resources and speaking with one voice. The Australian trade union movement's rights at work campaign is an example of what can be done:
http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/
For further information on UK political party membership read:
http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2010/07/inexorable-decline-in-membership-of-uk.html
