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VOTE UKIP!-ON MAY 7-2015

MAJOR ISSUES BULLETIN

Every 20 minutes, somebody quits New Labour.

Kirsty Walker

[Daily Mail-December 27-2006]

THE Labour Party has lost members at the rate of one every 20 minutes in the last six years, according to figures released yesterday.

Deputy leadership contender Jon Cruddas warned that the party would have no members at all by 2013 if they continued to drop off at the same rate.

The drastic decline reflects disillusionment with the Blair government, fury over the Iraq war and its aftermath, and recently the cash-for -honours affair.

According to the figures, membership stands at 198,000 compared with 361,000 in 2000. Mr Cruddas, MP for Dagenham in Essex, called on the party leadership to reconnect with the grass roots. 'You are not going to resolve this from Westminster -you are not going to resolve this simply through edicts from the centre.' he said.

'You need to build it from the bottom up. Activity on the streets, a local presence, continuously year-on-year and not just at election times.'

The figures will be particularly alarming for Gordon Brown who is hoping to take over the Labour leadership next year at a time when Tories are enjoying a resurgence in the polls.

Mr Cruddas, who is next month launching a national tour to find out why members are leaving in their droves, added:

'These figures are alarming. It's time we as a party woke up.'

[Well! -the figures above show that the electorate has awoken and the cause it not too far to see -it is No10 and Tony Blair in particular with his illegal invasion of Iraq. Why do you think that Tony has been keen to get the loans rather than having to explain to his party membership his disastrous so-called policies?]

Mr Cruddas continued:

'Revitalising the party and rebuilding our ability to win elections will only come about if we change.'

MPs are particularly concerned that the Party will face a drubbing at the next local elections in May, 2007.

Labour has said that membership, which peaked at 405,000 after Tony Blair came to power in 1997, fell by only 3,348 in 2005.

Chairman Hazel Blears said Mr Cruddas's figures had been used in a 'sensational way' [The usual New Labour way -we have no doubt]

'Our membership is broadly the same as other political parties, and not just in this country but around the the world there is a lack of political engagement.' And I think that the process we're undertaking to involve the public should also help us to involve the public should also help us to reinvigorate our party politics - something that desperately needs to be done.'

The most recent figures for the Tories suggest that they have lost 6,000 members since David Cameron won the leadership.

Some 247,394 are eligible to vote -6,295 fewer than when Mr Cameron took over.

[This is a warning to David Cameron that his star gazing has not brought him flocks of admirers and he has now left it too late in getting some substance into his policies before Gordon Brown enters No10 and an election to shortly follow.]

A review into political party funding by former civil servant Sir Hayden Phillips is due to publish its recommendations in January 2007.

It is expected to recommend that parties stop being bankrolled by wealthy individuals or trade unions and rely on membership fees.

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JANUARY/07