Grant Shapps: Yes, Party Membership will survive - but it will change. Here's what we're doing to revive it.

Grant Shapps is Chairman of the Conservative Party and MP for Welwyn Hatfield

Getting people involved remains one of the most important things for any politician to do. Our job is to bring individuals together to forward our common beliefs and goals. That’s something that’s been a proud tradition of this party and the country for centuries.

But today we’re witnessing some of the greatest advances in communication ever known.  Personal technology is more affordable and accessible than ever before. We’re connected in ways never thought possible, even a generation ago. Through social media, growing numbers of people can speak for themselves.

With such enormous changes, it's easy to understand the concern that traditional party membership won’t survive. But I disagree. It’s just that it will change. Mass communication may have taken a digital turn, but it’s not the end for membership.  In fact, quite the opposite.

All around us, new movements are bringing people together. The London Olympics Gamesmaker programme engaged thousands of volunteers from across the country using digital technology, and rewarding people for their dedication. This was a form of short-term membership.

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Grant Shapps: Welcome to Team2015 – the initiative that takes us beyond party membership

Grant Shapps is Chairman of the Conservative Party and MP for Welwyn Hatfield

ConHome readers already know that volunteers play a crucial part in our party’s operation. They are the lifeblood of the Conservatives - standing shoulder to shoulder with our party professionals, candidates and MPs – many of whom have volunteered for years themselves.

During the last election, I ended up with a lot of volunteers helping me out on the ground. But after polling day I was still stunned to discover I needed to sign a thousand thank you letters to folk who’d directly helped in my re-election campaign - far more than the number of members in my Welwyn Hatfield Conservative Association.

The power of volunteers was clear. So when I became Party Chairman last year, one of the very first things I did was to examine the opportunities to create a nationwide volunteer network.

We went out to talk to our members and existing volunteers and got a firm idea of what motivated them, studying the London Olympic Gamesmaker programme and the experience of both Democrats and Republicans in last year’s US elections, before setting to work building our own grassroots volunteer network.

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Posted on 3 Jul 2013 06:37:51 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grant Shapps: We're getting the big decisions right – and Miliband has nothing to offer

Grant Shapps is Chairman of the Conservative Party and MP for Welwyn Hatfield

MPs return from recess this morning with less than two years of this Parliament to go.  It's unfortunate that given the alleged conduct of the few, there’s a cloud hanging over Westminster today. It’s exactly the sort of thing that angers the public - but it also infuriates MPs of every party.

Over the past week Members of Parliament have been hard at work in their constituencies. They know it’s still tough out there.  But MPs with their ears to the ground will also recognise the signs of progress. On visits to local businesses or talking to homeowners, they’re beginning to hear feedback that tells them the economy is rebalancing and starting to heal.

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Posted on 3 Jun 2013 09:50:28 | Permalink | Comments (0)