Can local parties get back into the policy mix?

I’ve just been Chief Steward at the Scottish Party’s recent conference in Perth for the 19th time. During that time I’ve noticed a drop-off in local parties contributing motions and/or amendments to the policy making process.

The oldest agenda I still have in my possession goes back to spring 2004 where there were 14 policy motions debated. 6 came from Policy Committee, the rest from local parties or other approved bodies. But a number of amendments were submitted by local parties to Policy Committee motions. In 2005 there were 11 motions of which 6 came from Policy Committee. In the run-up to the last Scottish Parliament elections in 2007 this had dropped to 5 motions: 1 submitted by Conference Committee!; 3 by Policy Committee. This time round of the 6 motions submitted 3 were from Policy Committee however, there was only 1 amendment submitted.

It appears to me that local parties and other approved bodies are no longer interested in discussing policy or finding the time to submit amendments. This could be down to changes in the rules but I suspect is more likely due to the fact that the local parties that previously put in motions have now had those activists successfully elected to public office. these activists may now be too busy, in most cases, in running their local authority and don’t have or can’t make the time to discuss and prepare conference motions.

It is up to local parties to find the next generation of activists to replace those currently in elected office and to promote policy development and debate. Policy motions and the “quality” of the agenda should not be left up to Policy Committee as I overhead someone suggest over the week-end.

Policy committee should be helping local parties and other approved bodies put forward motions for debate. It’s something the Conference Committee as organisers of the conference should be helping with too. Both Committees working together may take us back to “the old days” of a few years ago.