What are they talking about?
There are a great deal of words, phrases and acronyms that old school Labour members will throw around that might be completely alien to you when you first join the party. So we’ve given you a bit more information about the terminology you might come across in the party – broken down into three key sections.
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Labour Party structures and bodies
Commonly heard campaigning phrases
Party events and involvement opportunities
Labour Party Structures and Bodies
BLP Branch Labour Party
Your local party, based on ward boundaries for the election of Councillors. A lot of Labour Party activity takes place at branch level, it is from here that members take part in choosing local council candidates.
CLP Constituency Labour Party
Made up of several branches and based on the electoral area for the election of MPs. It is from here that you can help choose which members will represent you at Annual Conference.
ALC
The Association of Labour Councillors is a Labour Party affiliated organisation which represents Labour councillors of England, Wales and Scotland within the Labour Party. The work of the ALC is governed by executives who are directly elected by Labour councillors from each region.
CAC
The Conference Arrangements Committee is the committee which determines the shape of the agenda for Annual Conference, rules on the validity of contemporary and emergency motions, and acts as the steering committee for the conference. People are elected to the CAC by members periodically.
NEC
The National Executive Committee is made up of elected representatives from every section of the Party – government, MPs, Councillors, trade unions and
CLPs. Members vote for their CLP representative in a ballot every year. The NEC sets the Party’s objectives and oversees the running of the Party nationally.
PLP
The Parliamentary Labour Party is the group of Labour MPs in parliament.
Commonly heard campaigning phrases
Canvassing
This simply means speaking to people. This can be face-to-face by going door-knocking, or over the phone through our campaign tools. During these conversations you will also find out who people are planning on supporting at elections.
GOTV – Get out the vote
You’ll hear a lot about this around election time. Throughout a campaign we identify Labour voters (through canvassing), we then encourage them to go and cast their vote on polling day.
NPF
The National Policy Forum is made up of more than 200 representatives from all sections of the Party, with the largest part elected by ordinary members in
each region and nation of the UK. Other members of the NPF represent Labour Councillors, MPs, affiliated trade unions, socialist societies and other groups.
As with any large movement, there’s a lot to take in and sometimes it can be overwhelming. But there’s also a great deal to jump in and get involved with. We hope this explainer has boosted your confidence and you feel empowered to attend your next local meeting or event, get to know fellow members and set yourself goals for your membership.