On Being a Member of a Political Party
LPUK is dead. Long live LPUK*.
Since leaving (well, not renewing my membership after they failed to let me know my membership had expired) LPUK, I’ve been faintly surprised that I’ve not really missed being part of a political party. And as a result I’ve actually reached the conclusion that not being a member of a party is actually the way forward, for me at least.
It isn’t the cost factor (although the fact that LPUK apparently managed to piss away so much money makes me reluctant to spend my hard earned cash on a membership fee for that particular party) or the fact that no party truly represents my views. Rather, it is that being a member of a political party requires a certain amount of compromise. You have to accept not only that the party won’t perfectly match your ideological views, but also accept the leadership of potentially unpleasant people (seriously, how did anyone remain a member of the Labour party when the ghoulish and utterly odious Brown was leader?) and accept the tactical and strategic mistakes of that leadership. Yeah, I know that some will argue that part of being a party member is assisting that party in trying not to make mistakes in the future at the same time as attempting to adapt it to your own views. However, I reckon that people who believe that can actually happen are both more optimistic and have far more time on their hands than me.
Besides, I’m rather taken with the idea of a political gadfly; someone who zips from issue to issue, explaining their views as they go without having to take and/or defend a party line. Indeed, I’d argue that the pace and diversity of modern politics and that issues that arise from it defy hierarchical and bureaucratic party structures.
Of course, some will answer this by questioning just how I – or anyone else who adopts a similar position – hopes to have any political influence outside of a political party. Put simply, political parties represent the main way politics is done in this country – how can I expect to have any impact without being a member of one? Well, I’ve been the member of a major and a minor political party, and still had no real impact on politics in this country. I’m basically in the same position regardless of whether I’m a member of a party or not; the main difference is not having to shell out my hard earned cash to get a card saying I’m a member. So I’d rather not, if it’s all the same to you.
So party membership; thanks but no thanks. I’ve better things to do with my time and money.
*I’ll warn anyone who still believes LPUK has anything to offer one piece of advice – if it resurfaces with the same team that led it to the brink of destruction you want to avoid it like a particularly virulent and unpleasant plague.
Labels: LPUK, Political Parties
posted by The Nameless Libertarian @ 8:47 am
5 Comments
5 Comments:
I'm basically the same, but there's one big problem, which is that if someone stood for an election as an independent there'd sometimes be no clear indication of their ideas, especially for low-information voters who won't bother reading through a manifesto.
In a general election people have a fairly good idea what a given Lib/Lab/Con candidate will do. Those who focus on particular issues and priorities can vote for smaller parties (and the likes of UKIP and the Green Party do have detailed policies, as much as few people can be arsed to find out what they are).
The question of what independent MPs would actually do is one that's left wide open, especially because some people (even politicians) don't have clearly defined or stable views, which is one of the reasons why there are whips in the first place.
So I see the point in political parties (Liberal Democrats were "my" "choice" in 2010 and probably would be in 2015 after the coalition experience, in which I've broadly approved their performance) but I'll agree with you on the personal level.
Discuss. Are mass-membership parties good even if they're not for either of us?
And parties change. Imagine joining the Tories with Michael Howard in charge and then getting David Cameron.
Michael - that's exactly what happened to me. And the reason why I ceased to be a Tory party member.
Asquith - I'm against banning stuff, but if I was to make one exception it would be to ban political parties. They become a substitute for thinking about political issues. Voters and rank and file party members don't engage with political issues intellectually, and the level of debate descends to that of supposedly binary oppositions fighting one another. Those elected to parliament either become lobby fodder or risk averse careerists. Mainstream political parties are, IMHO, detrimental to modern politics.
TNL
I voted Tory when Michael Howard was leader and then was totally shocked when he resigned after the election. I thought he would give it another go.
I let my membership lapse> I nearly did so the previous year but gave it another go. I think on balance, "non aligned" probably sums me up as well. Mostly liberal/libertarian but not necessarily on all issues.
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