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Miliband to unveil biggest voter registration drive for a generation

May 12, 2012 11:07 am

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Mark Ferguson

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This afternoon, Ed Miliband will announce the largest voter registration drive for a generation, as Labour seeks to re-engage with millions of people who don’t vote, as well as those who do. In his speech to Progress annual conference, Miliband will outline how Labour plans to reverse a decline in turnout so it returns at least to the levels achieved in 1997.

A particular focus will be on a new model of organisation within the model – pioneered by Miliband’s American organiser guru Arnie Graf – that seeks to build “a party that reaches into communities. Not one that just talks to itself.” There is a growing acknowledgment within the party and the leadership that the existing model of party campaigning isn’t working – and I’m particular cannot solve the problem of low turnout.

Instead the aim will be to provide members with resources for local campaigns on local issues, alongside the voter registration drive.

The speech is also notable for the audience it is addressing. Whilst Miliband will open his speech by praising the role of Progress in changing the Party, he will also argue that by the end of the New Labour years we were no longer operating in the interests of working people – a potentially challenging message to a predominantly New Labour audience.

I’ll be reviewing the speech, and gauging the reaction to it, later today.

treborc1

I will put a bet this more to do with chasing the swing voters, we must ensure those swing voters swing our way, so we will get the Squeezed middle class, how labour has to go further on the Welfare Reforms getting the work shy and scroungers back to work, and Miliband has used those words.

So nobody will be down with me knocking on doors being as I live in a working class area, I suspect in the end it will be a push to get the voters who vote Tory or Liberal then it will be working class.

It will be Policies which will make me vote, not a lot of hot air which will be dumped once your in power.
But you know we will see.
robertcp

A voter registration drive would be good for the Labour Party and politics generally. I have always been uncomfortable with ignoring properties where nobody is registered during canvassing.

Regarding New Labour, it was never on the centre-left but Blairites were good at hiding this fact. It was only in 2003 that I realised that I did not want to belong to a party that followed a New Labour approach. Thankfully, Miliband has moved away from New Labour, so people like me are Labour supporters again.
- Mike Knoth
  
  The current government is missing the scroungers and hitting the genuine disabled.
  Milliband has yet to make that distinction.welfare reform must be kept in proportion the government’s own figures show fiddfling Income support and DLAto be the benefit areas which are fiddled least at just 0.5% wrong of people , clearly but it shows reality to be far awqy from the populist tory rhethoric from which Milliband will not distance himself he should allyhimself much more with the squashed bottom than the squeezed middle they are both mor numerous and more deserving the oarty that gives the ordinary average to low income person a good reason to vote will reap the electoral benefit, the idea perpetuated by the homogenised right of centre westminster village that some how most british people are middle class is patent nonsense and must be addressed if we are going to get government for all the people they have an opportunity to advance the cause of carefully managed far from looney left socialism to bring back a sensible and just level of equality in our society.
  So far Mr Milliband has done little or nothing to give the impression he is different from the homogenised pulp of the westminster village.I’ve been looking for a move away from blairite toryism and have seen precious little evidence of it yet The Labour party was founded on Ideals which sought to protect the poorest and weakest in society and to support the ordinary working class workers, who still arte the majority of people in this country yet Ed continues to concentrate his efforts on the middleclass,who are largely tory at heartand with the short term exception of tory blair switched their voting preference
  a situation unlikely to be repeated.yes the days of manual Labour and union domination have passedthe modern equivalent are the public servicesLabour must return to it’s core values or stay in opposition
Derek

If Ed wants to attack voter apathy forget this misguided approach.

He just doesn’t get it does he and who blames him, wrapped up in his Westminster bubble, never having had a real job at the bottom of the pile. Has he ever wanted for anything – I doubt.

This country is not like France with its history of revolution and an institutionalised distrust of the wealthy ruling classes. Quite the opposite. We seemed programmes from school to touch the forelockmt the squire and only a few rebel against this.

Ed needs to provide a real and radical alternative to the Coalition. He has to demonstrate that he supports the working classes – not just the working managerial classes but the unemployed, the normal workers (the squeezed bottom), and needs
- CS Clark
  
  With all due respect, the French were 144 years late to the Cut Off A Monarch’s Head party, and 164 years late to the Invite Someone Kinda In Line To A Sorta Throne Because You Can’t Stand The Current Lot shindig (that’s William III vs. Napoleon III, by the bye).
  
  Anyhoo, the thing about voter registration is that it is a virtuous circle – once you increase the turnout among the currently apathetic you increase the value of appealing to those votes, which in turn increases the rewards of increasing turnout. To say that you have to start only at one point in such a circle is self-defeating, like saying you don’t support changes in your system of absolute monarchy until you the alternative system is perfected.
  - Brumanuensis
    
    Don’t forget Louis Philippe on the ‘Invite Someone Kinda in Line’ trail. He was the warm-up act after all.
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Doc!!!

Compulsivity voting with a none off the above option if you dont vote you face higher soming
- treborc1
  
  Then you get anger and the BNP or somebody else getting an MP as people rebel
  - Joe Hynes (US Democrat, NYC)
    
    Can you not for 20 minutes keep quiet? No one is really interested in your mostly stupid comments, no matter how much your disability causes some sympathy. You are a human tinnitus, a constant buzzing noise. Jeez, just shut the F*** up for once, can’t you?
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https://mikestallard.virtualgallery.com/ Mike Stallard

This sounds like a very good idea.
https://mikestallard.virtualgallery.com/ Mike Stallard

This sounds like a very good idea.
Mike Knoth

nothing wrong with that but where is his voiciferous oppositionto the governmentsDLA CON
CHANGE TO PIPS DISGUISE FOR £20% CUT TO THE INCOMES OF THE MOST VULNERABLE
WHERE IS HIS OPPOSITION TO THE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO PHASE OUT SENCOs in school
where is his opposition toacademies who have opted out of LEAs refusing kids with S E Ns
in order to protect their results against other schools.He still has not taken off the gloves to attack te government on every frontPMQs is not enough where is th key note speech on protecting the most vulnerable
where is his committment to reversing the appalling budget which will snatch away free school lunchesfor the children of thosewho have least
whee is the loud clear committment to reverse the utterly unfairmillionaires40k pa tax cut
where is his committment to greater equality to put 90% of wealth and opportunity into the hands of 90% of the nation instead of the 2% who control over 90% of the wealth and the best opportunities in life, he virtually never mentions the plight of the disabled having their incomes slashed and enduring unfit for purpose work assessmentsAND THE RVERSAL OF THE GRANNY TAX HE IS THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION THE CLUE IS IN THE TITLE
OR IS HE LIKE BLAIRJUST A PALE BLUE TORY HE NEEDS TOI TAKE A LEAF OUT OF MONSIEUR HOLLANDES’S BOOK AND FAST.WHEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LABOUR AND TORY, WHEN?
Brighteducation

This is a great initiative and an excellent way to start rebuilding Great Britain.
Good move Ed !
John Woods

Most of the people who do not vote and are not registered are potential Labour Supporters. I have known some of them during the last 50 years of my adult life and I wish Ed every success. My advice is to promise that being on the voters register is essential if you are drawing any benefit from the State. These people are usually from a working class background, irrespective of whether or not they have become successful, an retain the same attitude ” it makes no difference who you vote for. They are all the same” Neil Kinnock knew this but never had the guts to do anything about it, preferring the simple extreme left targets. Well, these people are only open to compulsion and welfare benefits are where they are weakest. However, once they are all registered we will have to drive them to the polling station and advise them who to vote for when the election comes. Fat chance.

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