ABSTRACT
The Church of England has been labelled both ‘Marxist’, by the former Conservative Party chairman Norman Tebbit,1 and – more frequently – the ‘Conservative Party at prayer’, by innumerable political scientists and com - mentators. While not, strictly speaking, the main remit of this chapter, discussing which view is correct undoubtedly constitutes a theme of this part of this book. Perhaps of more importance, however, is the analysis of how and why the Church involves itself in electoral politics – and the consequences that that poses for the parties. Chapters 2 and 3 have looked at the religious influence within the electorate and within the parties, but it is now time to turn to look at those religious influences in depth from an associational/organisational perspective, and how that poses a ‘public choice’ challenge for the parties.
