Labour Election: £25 Corbyn Supporters Tax

Corbyn is on the ballot paper (there was little choice about that given the rules are legally binding) but we are back to the attempted vote rigging of last September, (eg Now Jeremy Hardy is Banned, Not Waving but Purging and Operation Ice Pick.)

Since last night's NEC meeting, if you joined the Labour Party after 11th January 2016, like over 100,000 members, you won't get a vote.

Unless you pay £25!  Of course if you are a wealthy member then £25 is nothing, but then again you quite likely won't vote Corbyn will you? Also the window for registering is only open for two days, starting next Monday. 

You need to be fast, the £25 will only work until 20th July!
 
Helpfully The Independent has outlined how to get round this Corbyn Supporters Tax:

Update: This has all been changed by the party establishment, the methods crossed out below may no longer apply.  Here is the latest from Unite:


Your Party Your Voice

Affiliate to Labour
Joining Unite the union & eligibility to vote in the 2016 Labour leadership election 
URGENT UPDATE: The Labour party procedures committee has ruled that an affiliated union member must both be a member of their affiliated union for 6 months and be registered as an affiliated supporter by 8 August 2016. This is a change from last year's election. 
Do not assume that as a new Unite member you will be entitled to a vote. Please read the guidance below fully. 
The only way to guarantee a vote is to join the Labour party as a registered member, which costs £25.
Registered membership opens on 18 July and closes on 20 July. The website will only be available from the 18 July. 
Unite will obviously be following developments very closely and will post updates on the Unite website as soon as possible.


Entitlement to register as affiliated supporters – updated 14 July 2016

Unite members can apply to be Labour party affiliated supporters and therefore be eligible for a vote in Labour’s leadership elections, but there are criteria for applications to be accepted.
Unite members must: 
  • Have been a member of the union since 12 January 2016
  • Pay the political levy – this will be the case unless the member has opted out. It is a portion of member subscriptions to fund political campaigning by the union.
  • Agree to the statement that they support the aims and values of the Labour party and are not a supporter of any other political party and agree for their contact details to be shared with the Labour party.
  • Be on the electoral register at the address given to the union and the Labour party.
  • Provide a date of birth and email address. 
  • Apply to be an affiliated supporter before 8 August 2016. To do this, fill in the form below.
The Labour party will be conducting the election. Queries about the ballot or members wishing to check if their applications have been accepted by the Labour Party should contact the Labour Party www.labour.org.uk.

Labour leadership contest: How you can vote without paying £25 fee

Currently, new party members who joined after 12 January are ineligible to vote in the upcoming leadership election unless they pay the increased fee


More than 100,000 new Labour Party members must pay a £25 fee to take part in the upcoming leadership election vote.
The decision by Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) has caused outrage among Jeremy Corbyn's supporters who have interpreted it to be another attack on his leadership.

There are, however, a number of ways to avoid the fee, which currently is an obstacle to around 20 per cent of the membership who joined the party after 12 January.

Firstly, people can join the Unite union as a community member, paying 50p a week until becoming an affiliate member by 8 August.

This would allow members or anyone interested, including students and the unemployed, to vote in the upcoming election.

Secondly, if you are black, Asian or belong to an ethnic minority, you would be eligible to vote in the election after paying £5 for a two-year membership of BAME Labour.

If you are LGBT, you could gain a say in the leadership election if you join LGBT Labour for £8 a year.
Alternatively, you could join Scientists for Labour for a concession rate of £5 to vote.


Labour membership numbers are thought to have reached around half a million, more than the 405,000 it reached during the high point of Tony Blair's premiership.

There is no change to affiliated supporter status, and people in affiliated trade unions will be able to sign up for a vote at no cost up until Monday August 8 – a fortnight before ballots are sent out.

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