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Political parties

Mums' Army: A Grassroots Movement Takes on Antisocial Behaviour

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Mary O'Hara was fed up with the constant stories of bullying and antisocial behaviour that were flooding the pages of her local newspaper. Like many others, she felt that the government was not doing enough to tackle the problem. So, she joined a new political party called Mums' Army, which was founded by John Dale, the editor of the UK's best-selling women's weekly magazine, Take a Break. The party's main focus is on addressing the issue of antisocial behaviour, and its candidates are a diverse group of individuals from all walks of life.

Key Takeaways:

  • Mums' Army is a grassroots movement that emerged from a campaign by Take a Break magazine to tackle antisocial behaviour in the UK.
  • The party has no leader, no constitution, and no manifesto, but is instead a loose coalition of individuals responding to a specific frustration.
  • Its candidates believe that antisocial behaviour is endemic across the country and that the government's response is inadequate.
  • Mums' Army has attracted almost 500 members, with 20% of the magazine's readers being men and some actively involved with the party.
  • Candidates and activists have personal experiences of antisocial behaviour, including multiple cases of being threatened, bullied, or physically attacked.
  • Many of the candidates and activists have questioned the effectiveness of government initiatives such as Asbos and the Respect agenda.
  • The party's aim is to be a pressure group and a political party at the same time, with no clear plan for how it would tackle the problem if it got into power.
  • Mums' Army has sparked controversy, with some accusing John Dale of using the party as a publicity stunt to boost Take a Break's circulation.

Statistics:

  • 10,000 Take a Break readers responded to a survey on antisocial behaviour.
  • 7,000 readers volunteered to become involved with Mums' Army.
  • The magazine has a readership of approximately 4 million, mainly working-class women living in old industrial towns and cities.
  • Take a Break sells around 1.2m copies a week.
  • 20% of Take a Break's readers are men, and some are actively involved with Mums' Army.
  • Almost 2.5 million Take a Break readers don't vote, according to John Dale.

Sources:

  • Mary O'Hara, "Mary is a journalist and a campaigner." p. 1
  • John Dale, Editor of Take a Break magazine.
  • Take a Break magazine, "Reclaim the Streets" campaign.
  • "Tony Blair's government's own statistics show that a small minority of people commit most of the problem behaviour."
  • Beverly Warren, "Grandmother and activist based in Blackpool."
  • Kevin Banks, "Former magistrate and pub landlord in Bolton."
  • Linda Martin, "Mums' Army candidate in Shoeburyness, Essex."

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