Labour advertising to field 300 candidates

[lostexpectation]

Labour’s big push in June elections - Times Online

The Labour party is planning to run up to 70 extra candidates in the local elections in June in an attempt to capitalise on its surge in recent opinion polls.
The party will run advertisements in local newspapers around the country this week inviting people to run. It has revised its seat target this summer up from 120 seats to 170.

In the 2004 local elections, Labour ran just over 230 candidates. This year it plans to run 300. In five-, six- and seven-seater constituencies where the party has one seat, it will seek to run a second candidate.

if someone isn't already involved in labour politics and set to run, don't you think now is bit too late, maybe you'll get people who've awoken from the slumber(but would you want them), or where there isn't a local labour organisation.

[Big Bobo]

When you have to advertise for people to run it's a worrying sign. It is merely more evidence that labour do not have a solid base in communities. No doubt they will recruit all sorts of opportunists for the locals hoping to cash in on Labour's temporary surge.

[redone]

Do they not have a constructive policy within their organisation that a person needs to be an active member of the party for at least 12 months. Isn't this one of the issues that Declan Bree had with Jim Mc Garry being taken into the labour party in Sligo .
It shows the strength of the labour party on the ground that they have to advertise for members of the public to stand . Who wouldn't have an idea of the phyosiphys of so called smoke salmon socialism .

[brown trout]

I think it is a good sign to see parties advertise for membership and candidates. It encourages people to become more involved in the political system. Maybe one of the good things we can take from this recession is that people will begin to take more notice of government action or inaction and begin to hold them accountable. As to if the people coming forward in response to the ads have enough political know how to be contesting the election is debatable. I would say however that you don’t have to be a genius to be a councillor and that national politics very often does not apply locally. Even if your seat is won in an anti government vote, it is local issues that you will be dealing with and not saving the economy. Therefore in reality, political philosophy is only a secondary issue. I believe that if all parties were to progressively recruit members and candidates as labour appear to be doing, we would have a much better democracy both locally and nationally.

[lostexpectation]

is it really progressive 3 months before the election?

[Herodotus]

Fair play, showing some good ambition.

[Big Bobo]

I think it is a good sign to see parties advertise for membership and candidates. It encourages people to become more involved in the political system. Maybe one of the good things we can take from this recession is that people will begin to take more notice of government action or inaction and begin to hold them accountable. As to if the people coming forward in response to the ads have enough political know how to be contesting the election is debatable. I would say however that you don’t have to be a genius to be a councillor and that national politics very often does not apply locally. Even if your seat is won in an anti government vote, it is local issues that you will be dealing with and not saving the economy. Therefore in reality, political philosophy is only a secondary issue. I believe that if all parties were to progressively recruit members and candidates as labour appear to be doing, we would have a much better democracy both locally and nationally.

By inviting anyone and everyone to run on the labour platform waters down the efforts of genuine candidates. This advertising merely appeals to opportunists and careerists hoping to get a place on the council by the hard work of others. A disgraceful and cynical move by labour. They are no different from FF or FG.

Fair play, showing some good ambition.

You're confusing ambition with opportunism

[wysiwyg]

A dangerous move to the extent that it was tried by the PD's prior to 2004 elections and ended up with a very broad range of PD candidates, many of whom had no real connection with the PD ideology but were elected to councils or became representatives of the PD party in different areas.

But, then again, there is nothing wrong with ambition.

[Kieran Collins]

I think its a great idea but too late in the campaign, it gives labour a chance to be a party representing all different people instead of union heads

[stalins granny]

it could pay dividends in some areas, malahide which is my local ward peter coyle polled 34% of the first preferences last time with the swing to labour and Peters popularity a running mate of any substance would take a 2nd labour seat.