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Miliband backs US-style primaries Miliband backs US-style primaries
(about 5 hours later)
Choosing Labour Parliamentary candidates should no longer be the preserve of party members, Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said. Choosing Labour's Parliamentary candidates should no longer be the preserve of party members, says Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
In an article for the left-leaning magazine Tribune, he argues US-style primary elections would give the public a greater say in selection. In an article for Tribune, he argues US-style primary elections would give the public a greater say in selection.
Mr Miliband says he has been taking inspiration from abroad as the current mainstream party systems are "dying". He says traditional party systems are "dying" and Labour needs to improve the way it reaches out to non-members.
Critics say taking power from parties could mean a decline in membership. More than 16,000 people voted for the Tories' Totnes candidate this week in an all-postal "open primary" contest.
In the article, the foreign secretary praised both the Greek socialist party and the US democrats for the way they involved the wider electorate and not just party members in decision making. In an article for left-leaning Tribune magazine, Mr Miliband praises both the Greek socialist party and the US democrats for the way they involve people who are not party members in decision making.
He said Labour should consider introducing a system of registered voters, as in the US, where anyone who identifies with a political party could vote not just in a general election but in primary elections to choose the party's candidates. Structures 'dying'
However, critics say this could hasten the decline in party membership as those who pay subscription fees would have far fewer rights in return. He does not outline exactly what form of open selection he believes would work best for the party.
Mr Miliband also advocates donating some of the money raised by Labour's fundraisers to charities and voluntary groups as a way of rebuilding trust. But he points out that the Greek party, Pasok, had allowed people to have equal rights as members or "friends" and held open primaries to select candidates for local elections.
Tory primary "The traditional political structures of mainstream political parties are dying and our biggest concern is the gap between our membership and our potential voter base," he writes.
The issue of introducing more "open primaries" to Britain was raised earlier this week when GP Dr Sarah Wollaston was named as the Conservatives' next Parliamentary candidate for Totnes in Devon after thousands voted in a selection process. This would be the death knell of the party Neal Lawson Compass
The party sent all 69,000 Totnes voters a postal ballot, rather than limiting it to the 700 local party members and saw 16,497 votes cast. "We need to expand our reach by building social alliances and increasing opportunity for engagement and interaction with our party."
The contest allowed everyone in the constituency, regardless of party affiliation, to take part. He adds: "We say we want to listen to our voters, why not a system of registered voters as in the US to create the basis for primaries?"
Conservative frontbencher William Hague said he hoped there would be more all-postal ballots, and other open primaries would continue to be used as a method of selecting Tory candidates. According to the latest party accounts figures submitted to the Electoral Commission, Labour Party membership fell for the ninth consecutive year in 2008, to 166,247 - from a peak of 405,000 in 1997.
He told the BBC he was pleased with the "terrific numbers" that had got involved and it gave people "ownership" of the process. Large turnout
But John Strafford, who chairs the Campaign for Conservative Democracy group, said it was another "nail in the coffin for party membership and party democracy". Neal Lawson, chairman of left-wing campaign group Compass, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that, as one of those at the top of the Labour Party over the last 10 years, Mr Miliband was among those responsible for leading it "to its death" through measures like increased privatisation.
"Now they have almost killed it they want to come up with a measure to try and move it into the general public so you just kind of water down even further. This would be the death knell of the party," he said.
"The revival of the Labour Party and the revival of British democracy will come from political parties that believe and have a vision of the good society and compete over that in fair and open democratic elections. That's what we want to see."
On Tuesday GP Dr Sarah Wollaston was named as the Conservatives' next Parliamentary candidate for Totnes in Devon, after 16,497 people voted in a selection process.
The party said the turnout exceeded its "wildest expectations" but had cost £38,000.
The Conservatives had opened up selection meetings to non-members before, but this time had gone a step further and sent all 69,000 Totnes voters a postal ballot.
In a traditional selection meeting only a few hundred party members will vote.