One of the issues with Reform UK is they provide little support to their loyal branch members.
If you sit at a branch meeting, or talk to followers, they will often talk-up the party, but many are lost when it comes to campaigning for seats.
Those that are putting their time to branches should be commended for being part of a few that take action on what they believe in though.
The central party have recently issued a branch manual, that is more a list of reasons of how the central party will discipline you, or expel you if they don’t like how you operate, than how the branch should operate to gain votes. That focus alone gives an insight in how central party view the branches.
That creates the question, does the Reform UK central party actually value the branches, above being able to talk about their number of followers – and I use the term followers rather than members purposely.
Reform UK central has become very adept at extracting cash from their followers with placing pressure on them to pay £25 subscription or the endless round of conferences.
There is little guidance to branches as to what a branch should do, but plenty of rules for them to follow. Many of the branches are new to political campaigning, and when they go up against the machines of the other main parties, locally they are lacking. That would lead you to the conclusion that Reform as a party believes campaigns are won or lost by central party action, in the main.
Any organisation needs a culture for it work well, but what is the culture of Reform UK ?
Given the lack of direction from the central party over the last few years, many of the branches, that have existed for a number of years, have run feral. That means they have given up on central party direction, and simply just done what they believe is the best thing to do.
In campaigning it is important to understand why somebody doesn’t agree with your views, many of those active in branches struggle with that as a concept, seeking to sideline those other views. However those “other” views represent a large proportion of votes. So from a campaigning perspective, you need to engage with them.
All this creates a risk for the development of the party, many will be be following the party with a degree of scepticism, but want to see a party with true professionalism and democracy. The culture developed within the party is one of hero worship of Farage, rather than critically thinking for themselves. That hero worship extends to crushing any anti-Farage dissident views from the branches.
That crushing of views is very interesting as it often comes from the very people that were previously advocates of greater critical thinking around governments, vaccines, lock downs etc. Those same people now lack the ability to critically think, with Reform UK being an olive branch to them of a better world.
But Reform UK is a new party, branches will then voice in defence of the party, and to defend how the actions of their party towards them.
I would suggest that if you don’t like somebodies action towards you, but yet defend it, you need to really question yourself, and the situation.
But this strategy places a risk on Reform UK – it makes it a niche party, and will ultimately put a cap on the progress of the party.
Those that are following the party from afar are most likely looking for a party with a sound base to it, built on a solid constitution, visible democracy and professional ways of working.
The party retains a bizarre constitution, based around a limited company with three shareholder.
Farage is the majority shareholder giving him a hold over the party. There is a new constitution, but that is yet to be adopted. That new constitution (if it is as put to the party) still makes it extremely difficult to change the leader, and being able to do that is a cornerstone of any group that uses a cabinet – member type structure. That new constitution gives a strong voice to the leader, and the ability of the leader to change any officers of the company at will.
The new company Reform UK 2025 is currently just a new business, it is not linked to an active constitution.
What the party talks about seems to change along with the political weather. A criticism of the party was that it didn’t have a broad manifesto. It now latches onto crowd-pleasing, rather than demonstrate that wider understanding of the party (back to that niche party comment)
What does Reform UK now need to do ?
- It needs to employ better people, that represent the party better, and that can develop a party culture that people can connect to.
- It needs to sensibly empower the branches, look at strengths and weaknesses, build competency
- They need to return to following party manifesto, rather than individuals.
- They need to go above and beyond in showing, and genuinely meaning democracy in the party
Reform UK has the scope to be a genuinely huge political change to the UK, but what they say who they are is very different in how they operate in reality.
Tim Cook