Labour's Grass Roots: The Politics Of Party Membership

This book publishes the results of the first comprehensive study of party members, examining who they are, why they joined the Labour Party, and discussing their views on activism, the party, and society as a whole. Journalistic accounts of party membership abound with images of unrepresentative extremists and eccentrics. This book replaces journalistic hunches with accurate information on a significant group of actors in the British political process.

Political parties are the driving force behind liberal democracy, yet knowledge of who belongs to them and why is almost nonexistent. This work attempts to provide the first national profile of the social background, characteristics, attitudes and values, as well as the political experiences and activities of Labour Party members in Great Britain.