The Grassroots Members: Who Are They?

Abstract

The Labour Party’s emergence as a fully-fledged participant in the British party system dates from 1918, the year in which it acquired a distinctive political programme and created a dues-paying, individual membership. By the 1940s the combination of both programme and large membership had established Labour as one of Europe’s most important mass parties (Duverger, 1954). However, the Labour Party was never very serious about expanding its individual membership since it could rely upon the millions of trade-union affiliated members for money and resources. Furthermore, the development of new, mass communications techniques from the 1950s onwards, providing the chance to communicate directly with the public via television and advertising, encouraged the party leadership to pay even less attention to membership recruitment.

We need more members to ensure that we stay in touch with the hopes and aspirations of the people of Britain. (Labour Party Centennial Report, 1999, p. 40)