A recent pamphlet by Philip Bassett and Alan Cave argues that unions in the UK should adapt to the new individualism by establishing relations with members akin to those between the Automobile Association and its clients. Passive consumerism is to be accentuated and collectivism downplayed as Bassett and Cave recommend that individual membership services form the basis of union organization. This review rejects these arguments and the policy recommendations that arise from them, showing that they exaggerate the extent of individualization and fail to incorporate any consideration of power into their analysis. Bassett and Cave's recommendations are shown to be unattractive to trade unionists and potential members alike. Rather, this review argues for participative unionism as the basis for trade union organization, in which individual member services supplement rather than replace collective organization.
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