| Save the Labour Party |
| NEWS RELEASE 07/04
Blair challenged to renew Labour Party ahead of next General Election London – 5 July Pressure is mounting on the Labour Party leadership to renew the Labour Party itself ahead of the next General Election. The campaigning group Save the Labour Party today published a hard-hitting response to official Labour Party thinking. The paper entitled, “Has Labour a future without the Party on the Ground?” sets out seven key tests facing Labour in the run up to the next General Election. It was authored by one of STLP’s founding members Dr Gaye Johnston. The paper comes hard on the heels of official confirmation last week of a slump in Labour Party membership since Tony Blair was appointed Prime Minister. The Labour Party National Executive Committee was told on 29 June membership had dropped by nearly 50% to some 208,000 and stabilised in the first part of 2004, compared with 407,000 in 1997. The issues will be debated publicly tonight at a seminar in the House of Commons with the Leader of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Peter Hain MP and leading political scientist and citizenship advisor, Professor Sir Bernard Crick. Among the questions posed is “Will the Party adopt a manifesto that will command widespread support not just with the electorate, but Labour activists and supporters as well”. STLP formed last year aims to attract support from all sections of the Labour Party, not just its left-wing. STLP has members in nearly 100 parliamentary constituencies and close links with other campaigning organisations in THE labour movement in England, Scotland and Wales. Copies of the paper can be downloaded from the organisation website. .pdf version Click here Word Version Click here For details of the STLP seminar - TODAY - 5 July 2004 Click here Media enquiries: Peter Kenyon Mobile 07802 216 591 eMail: peter.g.kenyon@btinternet.com Notes to Editors 1. Save the Labour Party is a voluntary association, open to all Labour Party members and affiliates and includes members from the left, right and centre of the Labour Party committed to democratic socialism. 2. Details of its activities – past present and future can be seen at: www.savethelabourparty.org 3. Copies of the Cataylst paper, "The Future Party" by Peter Hain (2004) can be downloaded from http://www.catalystforum.org.uk/pubs/paper22.html |