There are different lodges though aren't there? So some are more political / influential and others more social or like the rotary club?
Guardian article Feb 2018:
'Two Freemasons' lodges set up at Westminster are continuing to operate
Integrity or influence? Inside the world of modern Freemasons'
(extract)
Two Freemasons’ lodges set up more than 80 years ago for members of parliament and political journalists are continuing to operate, the Guardian has learned.
New Welcome Lodge, which set up to recruit MPs, peers and parliamentary staff, and Gallery Lodge, established for members of the political press corps known as the lobby, both remain active, according to Freemasonry records (continues)
David Staples, the chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), the governing body for Freemasons in England and Wales, said there was no contradiction between the practice of journalism and membership of Freemasonry.
“Contrary to populist perception, being a Freemason helps those members in roles serving society in the broader sense, including journalists, politicians, policemen and lawyers, to be better in those jobs by encouraging them to act as better people themselves. Their membership is a positive for both them as individuals, and for society at large,” he said.
More Freemasons would declare their membership, he added, if they did not fear prejudice and discrimination: “There should be no conflict between an individual choosing whether to declare their membership or not with that individual’s ability to do their job well. But there is, because some choose to believe otherwise, and some of our detractors are doing so based on nothing other than blind prejudice.”
The disclosure that both journalists and politicians are Freemasons comes after the outgoing chair of the Police Federation alleged that Freemasons were blocking reforms in policing and thwarting the progress of women and officers from black and minority ethnic communities.
After three years as the chair of the Police Federation, Steve White said: “I found that there were people who were fundamentally against any kind of change and any kind of progress, and they always happened to be Freemasons.” (continues)
www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/04/two-freemasons-lodges-operating-secretly-at-westminster
its worth considering closely the wording of the Freemason's answers as it is with regards the GRA