By-election- January 14th

[timmullen1]

Jan 15, 2016 11:04:12 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

Jan 14, 2016 22:40:49 GMT timmullen1 said:

Don't forget that technically you need to have been a member for a period of time (from memory it's a year, but I wouldn't bet on my memory being accurate) before you can apply to be a candidate; although that can be waived in special circumstances, unless you had someone absolutely desperate to stand here, I doubt whether this would qualify as such. Additionally, given the admitted geographic imbalance of the new members, they may not have been overly prevalent in this part of Cornwall.

I think it would definitely qualify as special circumstances - occasionally it is used where there is somebody a party really wants as a candidate who they've only just persuaded to join, but mostly the special circumstances are that there wouldn't be a candidate otherwise.

Not sure that encompasses the definition of "special circumstances" in the Ruie Book; in my experience in the West Midlands, the only times it's used are to accommodate defectors or when the individual gives us a genuine chance of winning a seat; they don't do it just for the sake of fielding a token candidate in a Ward/Division that logic suggests to be unwinnable.

[gwynthegriff]

That looks a pretty good LD result given the ... interesting ... circumstances of the vacancy.

[timmullen1]

Jan 15, 2016 19:24:48 GMT @stuart said:

Jan 15, 2016 17:49:27 GMT timmullen1 said:

Not sure that encompasses the definition of "special circumstances" in the Ruie Book; in my experience in the West Midlands, the only times it's used are to accommodate defectors or when the individual gives us a genuine chance of winning a seat; they don't do it just for the sake of fielding a token candidate in a Ward/Division that logic suggests to be unwinnable.

Doesn't it depend on who is doing the interpret the rules.

Yes, but, again only using my experience in West Midlands, it's the Regional Office acting on behalf, and in consultation with, the National Executive Committee, and not the local Party. (You need a certificate signed by the Regional Director to present with the nomination papers in order to use the Labour Party name and logo to be in compliance with PPERA).