Sunday, June 21, 2015

A bureaucrat speaks to his expectant audience...

Here I am, trying, and failing, to look as
though I'm not reading my speech...
Yesterday saw the Suffolk Liberal Democrats mini-conference in Ipswich, and I was asked to speak for four minutes on the behind the scenes stuff that happens in our Party. Here's what I said; 
So, you’ve become a Liberal Democrat or, for some of you, been one for many years. It’s all about campaigning for liberal democracy, right?
Well, yes. But you need to be organised, because it’s not quite as simple as going out and knocking on doors, or calling people on the phone, or using social media. And, behind the public face of a political party, there are a bunch of people keeping things ticking over, raising and managing funds, recording what has been decided, making sure that members are able to take up all of the opportunities that being part of any organisation offers.
That means treasurers and secretaries, database managers and so much more. You need people to manage candidate selections so that they’re fair, to draft policy, to design leaflets, and most of all, to ensure that things are done by the rules. Government particular likes to make rules that effect political parties – campaign finance being one of the most obvious areas.
As a result, the bureaucracy of political parties can be very important, if not necessarily very glamorous. But it may be that, sitting in this room, are people with accountancy skills, or organisational skills like process management, who might not like active campaigning but want to help out behind the scenes, or who even like both. 
In my professional life, I work in central government, and thus am somewhat restricted in what I can do publicly. However, I have an accounting background and believe that process matters. And because of that, I’ve found myself a niche deep in the organisational structure of the Party over the years, and had the opportunity to meet, and work with, a range of people I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise – like Ros.
Daunted by the responsibility? Don’t be. There is plenty of advice and support, both locally and from Headquarters, and there are old-timers around like me only too happy to answer questions.
There is also a little-known network of committees that, effectively, run the Party, some locally, like the Executive Committee of your Local Party, some regional – in our case, the East of England - and some at English and even Federal levels. They all need people with skills who can help decide how we select Parliamentary candidates, organise our conferences, design and consult on policy and even how we co-operate with our sister political parties across Europe and beyond. And, there is no reason why it couldn’t be you, if you wanted.
More than a quarter of the membership of this Party have joined in the past six weeks, and a new Leader will doubtless want to change things too, so there are potentially new ways of doing things, and opportunities to influence how the Party works. And here in Suffolk, and beyond, the Party will warmly welcome you if you want to contribute your skills, your knowledge and your time behind the scenes.
So, if you think that you might be interested, come and talk to me in the session that follows these presentations. I promise to talk English, not Bureaucrat, and if you simply want to know how the Party works, I’ll be happy to explain as best I can.

2 comments:

Julie Maxon said...

Mark, I’m sure you won’t remember but you welcomed me on Lib Dem Voice earlier this month after I posted a comment and you said that you hoped I would feel my membership “is a gateway to something you can value”.

I really appreciated your comment at the time but have to confess that I’ve been worried. Other commenters on LDV always seem so confident and knowledgeable whereas, as a new member, I’m very aware of my inexperience and lack of knowledge (although I’m reading and learning as much as possible).

I’m also very much a ‘behind the scenes’ sort of person, I always have been in my career, and I have been worrying because it feels as if everyone expects all members to be (and to want to be) out there on the front line.

What a huge relief therefore to find your blog/presentation via the “Golden Dozen” and to discover that it’s okay to want to be behind the scenes too! Wonderful! Thank you for inspiring me.

My local party hasn’t had a chance to get together yet with new members but hopefully will be doing so in the near future. If you do take your presentation on Tour (as suggested by Caron), I hope you’ll visit Cumbria!

Mark Valladares said...

Julie,

Strangely enough, I've been to Cumbria on a couple of occasions in recent years, most recently last year when Ros, my wife, did a fundraising dinner for Tim Farron in his constituency.

It is very kind of Caron to suggest that I take the presentation on tour, but it works best if it is done by a local member, preferably someone who knows the county well - they can connect people up with the right Local Party and will know more about local dynamics.

But, if you show interest, people will happily tell you about things, and if you are willing to take on a role, you'll learn plenty whilst doing it. Asking questions is the key, as well as taking opportunities if they arise and you can spare the time.

Good luck, and feel free to ask me questions if that helps!