How I’ll improve Lib Dem membership

How I’ll improve Lib Dem membership – Ros Scott

By Baroness Ros Scott | Wed 29th October 2008 - 6:16 pm

One of the roles of the President is to be the bridge between the members and the centre. That’s why I’ve promised to:

Keep in touch with the membership through email bulletins, my blog, LD News and Party mailings.

Use e mail and electronic voting as a means of consulting members.

Attend one conference each year in every English region as well Scotland and Wales.

Campaign in elections at all levels and regularly visit local parties.

We need to evaluate what we offer members – too many feel they are “focus fodder” or a source of donations. We need to create a sense of belonging and ways of utilising the range of skills and experience amongst our membership. I’m keen to explore the idea of associate membership to create closer links with people who feel that membership is more of a commitment than they are prepared to make. Sometimes we are just too purist about this, and fail to benefit from people who broadly support our aims, or a particular campaign or candidate.

We need to work together to bring in new people, especially in those areas where membership has dwindled. There’s a role for regions here, and I’m prepared to commit time each month to this task.

This isn’t an exercise to be carried out in isolation. If we are more radical, if we sound less like a political party and more like a movement, people will join us. This is the lesson from Obama’s campaign – thousands of people who have previously felt excluded from the political process are re-discovering a faith in democracy. As the politics of the last two decades become increasingly discredited, there is a great opportunity for us.

This is one of a series of three articles about increasing membership by candidates for the Lib Dem party presidency. You can find Ros Scott’s campaign website here.

2 Comments

Mouse 29th Oct '08 - 7:08pm

Although it is a bit of a chicken and egg situation, the problem with signing people up as members or supporters is that often they don’t actually join anything much. Peraps half a dozen clls and an annual dinner. It would belovely if someone popped round to say welcome, but they are probably busy or waiting for someone to call on them.

Focus fodder – it can be a bit misleading, lots of our members and lots of wards never see a focus, let alone deliver one.
Andy Hinton 29th Oct '08 - 7:30pm

If we are more radical, if we sound less like a political party and more like a movement, people will join us. This is the lesson from Obama’s campaign – thousands of people who have previously felt excluded from the political process are re-discovering a faith in democracy. As the politics of the last two decades become increasingly discredited, there is a great opportunity for us.

Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. Yes.

Yes.

Mouse:

It would belovely if someone popped round to say welcome, but they are probably busy or waiting for someone to call on them.

The first contact I had with anyone from my local party was a candidate for PPC calling round to encourage me to go vote for them at the selection meeting. Previous to that there were a few letters inviting me to, for instance, AGMs when students are away, and to the odd coffee morning. Here’s a competition: Can anyone better the term “coffee morning” for scaring away anyone under 40?

I’m pretty convinced that, quite apart from driving up membership, many local parties are pissing away the goodwill of many members by just not seeming all that bothered if they don’t ever hear from them. I’d love to feel regarded as focus fodder.