Boundary changes boosting Labour membership
Ed Miliband often boasts of how tens of thousands of people have joined the Labour Party since the election - all evidence of his "new generation", he says.
I must admit I have always been rather sceptical about the figures, but perhaps they're true.
One Labour MP told me tonight that the prospect of serious battles with Westminster colleagues over the reduced number of seats, has prompted the more organised and far-sighted to embark on local membership drives to help their own selection.
I can't think why that hadn't occurred to me before.
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Comment number 1.
At 19th May 2011, RW49 wrote:What's interesting here is that MPs seemed to accepted this political reform and are going with the flow, so to speak. No sound and fury over this particular reform. Why is that? Perhaps they feel they could well do without 50 of their number, including 10 from Wales.
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Comment number 2.
At 19th May 2011, Isatou wrote:Is it not just that Labour realise that if the constituencies are fair they will lose
seats ?
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Comment number 3.
At 22nd May 2011, jedlo wrote:micheal dont read much into a rise in membership, you look at the figures after the 1pence first year is over and then see how many new people are joining, most people will join just for the hell of it if it only costs a penny just because theyve never joined a political party before, it doesent necessarily translate into votes or increased support, id join any party if it costs a penny just to see if i get sent anything intresting to read from them
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Comment number 4.
At 22nd May 2011, Smeagol wrote:Yes what a triumph it will be for the National Union of Journalists in particular the over 4000 of them that work for the 91Èȱ¬ when Labour wins the next election and effectively turns whatever is left of the UK at that time (given the likelyhood of a referendum on independence for scotland before then) into a one party socialist state.
I'm almost reconciled to it now, the forces at work propelling it into existence are just too powerful to stand against. I guess I would be more comfortabe about it if someone could honestly tell me how it will fund itself, or will that, as usual be a secondary consideration. How severely will the hard working have to be punished in order to reward the idle for their Labour votes?
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