A progressive boycott of Labour party conference by local constituency parties has been revealed in figures presented to Labour’s National Executive yesterday. The number of constituencies represented this year at the conference at which Ed Milliband’s election as leader was announced was the lowest in living memory — 412 meaning more than one in three parties was unrepresented. A survey of most years since 1949 demonstrates how constituencies have turned their back on conference most markedly since the abolition of contemporary motions by Gordon Brown. This illustrates the crying need for conference to become once again a real conference — one which has real debates and votes.
Attendance at conference by constituency parties was at its highest in the early 1980s when absentees were as few as 6%, and almost as good in the 1950s when they were about 10%. In the years 1949 – 1985 which we examined (shown in blue in the table below), attendance only fell below 80% once. It is now clear that it declined during the Blair years and plummeted in the Brown years. Figures made available at the NEC are shown in black.
It has always been the case that a small number of local parties do not attend conference for financial reasons, and this may happen slightly more immediately after a general election. The trend in recent years, however, does not appear to be about money as more of those CLPs that do attend have chosen to send more than one delegate – also revealed in the table.
year | total | present | delegates | |
2010 | 632 | 412 | 65% | 553 |
2009 | 632 | 444 | 70% | 547 |
2008 | 632 | 465 | 74% | 499 |
2007 | 632 | 501 | 79% | 525 |
2006 | 632 | 497 | 79% | 512 |
2005 | 628 | 491 | 78% | 507 |
2004 | 628 | 500 | 80% | 542 |
2003 | 628 | 499 | 79% | 518 |
2002 | 628 | 527 | 84% | 570 |
1985 | 633 | 593 | 94% | 628 |
1982 | 623 | 579 | 93% | 598 |
1981 | 623 | 584 | 94% | 590 |
1980 | 623 | 588 | 94% | 595 |
1979 | 623 | 548 | 88% | 552 |
1978 | 623 | 534 | 86% | 538 |
1977 | 623 | 546 | 88% | 551 |
1976 | 623 | 548 | 88% | 552 |
1975 | 623 | 512 | 82% | 516 |
1974 | 623 | 515 | 83% | 523 |
1972 | 659 | 548 | 83% | 556 |
1971 | 659 | 548 | 83% | 557 |
1970 | 656 | 490 | 75% | 492 |
1969 | 656 | 530 | 81% | 538 |
1965 | 659 | 531 | 81% | 551 |
1963 | 667 | 569 | 85% | 588 |
1962 | 667 | 582 | 87% | 600 |
1961 | 667 | 605 | 91% | 622 |
1960 | 667 | 598 | 90% | 616 |
1959 | 667 | 562 | 84% | 577 |
1958 | 667 | 591 | 89% | 612 |
1957 | 667 | 618 | 93% | 641 |
1956 | 667 | 612 | 92% | 634 |
1955 | 667 | 594 | 89% | 617 |
1954 | 667 | 611 | 92% | 644 |
1953 | 667 | 606 | 91% | 631 |
1952 | 667 | 600 | 90% | 625 |
1951 | 667 | 588 | 88% | 611 |
1950 | 661 | 588 | 89% | 606 |
1949 | 660 | 581 | 88% | 600 |
we didn’t go as a boycott… we were suspended! Again!
Interesting to note that participation was at its highest during the Bennite “boom” of the early 1980s!
Maybe the attendance is down because the Party itself (NEC) does not want members to have a say, an opinion or a vote.
This is possibly considered a hinderence by members who continually believe they are members of one of the biggest democratic political parties in the world.
Maybe it would help if the rule book was observed and the clap happy conference organisers were removed.
The question should be asked:
What has your CLP achieved in the last 5 years (or so)?
Stoke Central sent a delegate every year, come what may (Stoke North boycotted).
The delegate report of the Conference was listening to paint dry.
There is an additional explanation for the decline in CLP attendance. Since devolution national conference has lost much of its imprtance for the Scots and Welsh.
I think it is right that participation in UK national politics has declined especially in Scotland since devolution and this is visible in things other than attendance at conference. However, Scotland was always the party region with the highest level of absenteeism, especially when conferences were in southern England. The distance to travel must be a factor and perhaps also the fact that Scottish parties have tended to be smaller and maybe therefore poorer. Absenteeism does now seem to have penetrated all regions. If I have time, I will have another look at the data to see whether it can throw further light on this.