II.

Organization

The Conservative Party is a hierarchical organization with the party leader at the top. It comprises three elements: the parliamentary party; the National Union; and Central Office.

The parliamentary party is made up of those Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) sitting in both Houses of Parliament. The Chief Whip and his or her officers manage these MPs and the business of the House. The 1922 Committee is the Conservative backbenchers’ “trade union”, serving to represent Conservative opinion in the House of Commons. Major issues of party policy are discussed, but votes are not normally taken.

The National Union is the voluntary side of the organization. It is a federal “club” for around 600 local constituency associations in England and Wales. Although Scotland has its own organization, its constituency associations are now affiliated to the National Union. These associations are responsible for the selection of prospective parliamentary candidates, and for helping to get voters to the polls. They also raise funds for the party. In 2001 party membership was estimated to be 318,000. An annual conference, lasting four days, is held every autumn and is the most important annual gathering of the party. It is not authorized to decide on policy and has no executive power; its resolutions are therefore not binding on the party leadership, but they have considerable influence.

Central Office is the bureaucracy responsible for the extra-parliamentary activities of the party. It comprises a head office in London, seven regional area offices, and a Conservative Research Department. A party chairman appointed by the leader oversees the running of the headquarters, and is also responsible for maintaining morale and activity in the constituencies. Central Office provides a range of services to the leader and party as a whole. It provides a list of approved candidates, assists in by-elections, is an important source for publicity material, and employs the local party agents. Since the outcome of a British general election rests upon the result in a number of key marginal seats, Central Office concentrates its resources on the marginals, and helps to ensure that the “hopeless” seats are able to forward a candidate at an election. For the leader, it provides a service by monitoring opinion in the party and constituencies, and helps to decide when to go to the polls if the party is in government. During a general election, it adopts a coordinating role for the leader, candidates, and constituencies. There is a separate Central Office in Scotland, with its own chairman.

With the expansion of British suffrage in 1832, 1867, 1884, 1918, and 1928, the party developed organizations to attract support from women, through the Primrose League (founded in 1883); from youth, through the Young Conservatives; and from workers, through the Tory Workingmen’s groups. At election time the Conservative Party consistently secures one third of working-class votes. Organization is a crucial instrument in the party’s electoral success.

The traditional culture of the Conservative Party emphasizes leadership; the party is regarded as the personal vehicle of the person selected, or elected (since 1965), to lead it. Hierarchy and respect for, and deference to, leaders have been the prevailing values of Conservatism, though this tradition was increasingly eroded during the premiership of John Major. In 1965 it was decided that the leader would be chosen through a majority ballot process, by the Conservative MPs. Edward Heath became the first leader by election in 1965. In the late 1990s the rules were revised so that the entire party membership (300,000 in 2001) were allowed to decide by a majority ballot between two candidates chosen (by a ballot, or series of ballots) by party MPs. When the party is in power the leader serves as prime minister and selects the Cabinet ministers. When in opposition, the leader appoints a shadow Cabinet, to be prepared for a return to government in the event of a victory in a general election.