Thursday, March 22, 2007

£10 Prize

I am offering a £10 donation to the local Liberal Democrat party that comes up with the most witty or amusing reason as to why I should transfer my membership to their local party.

Why should I do this you ask?

About 5 years ago I moved house. My new home was approximately 100 yard across the border in the Wokingham Constituency. I asked to remain a member of Newbury local party. So far so good. Now there have been a huge number of boundary changes and so all members have been relocated to their geographically correct local party. Mind you I only found out about this anecdotally.

I found this approach a little strange given that I had previously made a direct request to remain part of Newbury and I raised a thread on Lib Dem Voice to ask about the issue. It transpires that the English Party took a decision to revert every member to the local party where they reside. All previous opt-outs, forms signed, etc became invalid. I was also told that I could get a form and then get the executive of the Newbury local party to agree to re-accept me.

I then wondered whether or not this meant that I could in effect apply to any local party. I was directed to the Q&A which comes with the form and states as follows

"Q9. Can someone join a local party that they have never been a member of before and for which they have no qualifying address? A. Only with the approval of the executive of the local party they wish to join and the executive of the regional party containing that local party."

As it appears (that with their agreement) I can join any local party I decide to have a bit of fun and offer a donation to the wittiest reason as to why I should join a particular local party

I am now extending this competition via this blog.

Local parties who have made bids so far funny or otherwise (either on Lib Dem Voice or directly) are as follows :

Ayrshire & Arran
Lincoln
Portsmouth
Reading East
Wokingham

3 comments:

Paul Walter said...

I would like to invite you to join Newbury local party on the basis that we know where all your skeletons are buried and will reveal all to the News of the World if you join some other local party.

Tony Ferguson said...

I suspect the ones you know about would not be of interest to the NOTW! Not even a financial inducement? Given the likely cost to the local party of my departure I am surprised

Tony Ferguson said...

The winner is Lincoln

Ryan if you want to email me details of the Payee and an address the cheque will be in the post.

The level of responses to my serious offer of £a 10 donation was very poor, this despite me extending the competition from Lib Dem Voice to this Blog.

Lincolns offer made me laugh the most.

In reality it is a toss up between Newbury and Portsmouth