taking the next step

Welcome to this section about joining the Labour Party and getting involved with your local branch of the party.

Actually, joining the Labour Party is very easy. You can do it by phoning 08705 900 200 or by visiting http://www.labour.org.uk/ and clicking the join button on the right hand side of the screen. Standard Membership is £36 per year and there are discounts for the unwaged, students and under 27s.

Once you’ve applied you will receive information about your local party through the post along with your very own membership card and number. From this point on you can get involved locally as little or as much as you like. But I’ll assume you are keen to get involved and explain a bit about how you go about doing that.

Your Local Branch.
One of the members of your branch (membership secretary) should get a notification from the national Labour Party that you have popped up as a new member. They are likely to give you a call or drop an e mail to you to welcome you to the local party. If however you are so keen that you can’t wait for that to happen, you can contact them through the information sent to you with your membership card. Or you can google your local Labour party or contact a local Labour councillor or MP to introduce yourself.

You will be invited to go along to your local branch meeting, the hub of all party activity. There you will be greeted by like-minded Labour community activists who will welcome you to the branch. You will hear about the activities of the party in your constituency and will be able to listen to and contribute to debates and events. It is very likely that you will gel with these people as you will all have similar goals and political ideals. At branch meetings you are also able to choose the candidate for the next set of local elections.

Your Local Constituency
There are several branches that make up a constituency party. Over the course of a year the constituency party will meet a number of times and branches will send delegates to this meeting. This meeting is the General Committee or GC. Here the members will hear about national activities and if your MP is Labour, he or she will speak to the GC and give a report on their business in Parliament and in the constituency.

Campaigning
For many new members the most interesting bit about joining the party is helping to get members elected as councillors or MPs in order to promote the ideals and policies of the Labour Party. Months before the May / June election period, preparations and plans are being made by the party election agents and they are always grateful for any help you are able to give. Whilst out on the campaign trail you will meet councillors and members of parliament as well as candidates. With a good agent and a good campaign candidates do get elected on polling day. Nothing quite compares to the feeling of victory at elections and the sense that you have made a difference by helping to get a Labour candidate elected; someone with the same political views as yourself and you know will make a difference for your local community.

Being a member of the Labour Party is very rewarding. You will make friends and it can be a lot of fun. Perhaps more importantly, you really will have a voice in your local party. And if you want to go the whole hog, why not put yourself forward as a potential candidate, if you think you have what it takes to get elected and the determination to make a difference?

Allan Davies, 27/08/2009