Across the country, election address leaflets from the Labour Party have been dropping through letterboxes – even though the general election campaign has not yet formally started.
These leaflets – delivered free for candidates by the Royal Mail – usually only appear during the campaign itself as candidates make use of the free service which delivers one leaflet from each candidate to each voter.
However, Labour has made use of the special provision which allows leaflets to be delivered earlier, provided the party commits to paying the postage if the candidate in them ends up not being the party’s candidate at the election.
It’s unusual for this to be used on a widespread scale and suggests a weakness in Labour’s grassroots organisation if the party feels it necessary to use up some of its free delivery so early in the campaign and at a point where there is a (small) risk they could be landed with a large postage bill if something happens to a would-be candidate before they get formally nominated.
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The Joy of Six 1578
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion polls
A Week in Politics #6
Fifty years
The abuse that threatens democracy
Tim
David Raw
Richard Cripps
Jana
paul barker
9 Comments
Do we know whether Stuart Maclennan’s address has gone out in Moray yet?
Aye; we got ours (to the first voter) in Calder Valley this week. Admittedly the implosion of the CV activist base is a special case, but they don’t seem to have many deliverers; not even sure they’ll have enough candidates based on last times slate.
The local Tories have got a few more activists, but they’re busy putting expensive poster boards into every available spot of green.
Received this morning in Northampton North. It hasn’t enabled them to match our flying start leaflet, most of which is now out, and of course any early advantage it might have given them will be lost later.
Addressed or unaddressed?
Ours was addressed (to Jennie), hence me knowing it was the 1st voter one.
Not had a sausage from Labour or anyone else other than us so far. However, one of my fellow activists in a ward at the other end of my constituency HAS received one from Labour, which he brought into the office last week for a laugh, and it’s one of the most amateurish efforts I’ve ever seen from anyone, let alone an incumbent MP.
It could be because they feel that once the election is closer they can count on more activists more often. But in the meantime, the Tories have been bombarding every winnable-ish seat with Ashcroft funded Direct Mail, so maybe these local Labour candidates want to counteract this by using their election addresses early…
Here in Bradford East, we’ve had personally addressed stuff from the Lib Dems supporting David Ward, and a fair few leaflets. Nothing from Labour as yet, this is a Lab-Lib fight here.
Aidan – finally received Rooney’s aforementioned rubbish offering yesterday morning, just before doing a spot more leafletting for David. I also noticed some fairly slick-looking Conservative leaflets in the new Barratt developments near me but nothing in the older houses.