The Conservative Party is a far more exclusive club than previously thought. Mark Wallace has got hold of some rather alarming research that shows a rather lacklustre attitude from local Conservative associations towards those wanting to join the party. In a “mystery shopper” test, more than half did not receive a response to their application, while 10 per cent were told that the association was “closed to new members”.
Apparently Andrew Feldman reported (at a meeting this morning) on a study CCHQ has carried out into the effectiveness of local Conservative Associations. In a “mystery shopper” exercise, CCHQ wrote to over 300 associations under the guise of being a person who wanted to join up, and asking how to do so.
Over half of the letters received no response at all, which is bad enough. Weirdly, a handful who wrote back said the applicant would need to pass a membership interview before they could join the Conservatives. Most worryingly, though, around 10 per cent wrote back to the pretend applicant saying they were “closed to new members”.
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While Labour is practically giving membership away for free, the Conservatives are a more discerning bunch. Still, at least it shows ideological consistency. The party’s membership policy matches its immigration policy: we’re full, you can’t come in!
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