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Declining Labour Party Membership - Why?

Is it a serious problem?

LI membership a few years ago topped over 1400 members.  Today there are 638.  This is in line with the trend throughout Labour constituencies. Since 1997 total Labour Party membership has halved from 400,000 to 200,000 members.  Is a large individual membership important and if so what can be done to stem this flow?

An independent commission of Labour Party members chaired by Michael Meacher MP, a prominent backbencher and former government minister, has been meeting since the General Election in May to inquire into why Labour has lost so many members since 1997, and more recently 4 million voters; and make recommendations.

As a first step an  academic team has agreed to undertake fresh research into Labour Party membership, and report on why Labour is finding it difficult to recruit and retain members when millions are willing, for example, to take to the streets in support of Make Poverty History campaigns and Stop the War.

Leading national polling organisations have submitted tenders to support this work. To do the job properly £25,000 is needed  to pay for the first phase. This will focus on the aspirations of members past and present; both when they joined, during membership and if they are one of the 200,000 plus that have resigned since 1997, why they left and what Labour will have to change to encourage them to rejoin. The investigation will also attempt to find out more about the millions of politically active members of British society – men, women, young and old - who are NOT members of the Labour Party, but, given their interest in the world we all live in, ought to being targetted to join the Labour Party.

With financial support a comprehensive, independently researched assessment can be made of Labour’s chances of rebuilding active membership for a 4th term.  To find out more about this project click on this link: http://www.pledgebank.com/labourinquiry

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choosing the Open Members' Guestbook option or fill in the LI Feedback Form..