by far the biggest branch in the Labour Party (in fact, way bigger than any LEC, with only the affiliates being bigger), so democratically it deserves a very strong say. In fact in terms of delegate votes you would want to split a 1000 person branch into maybe 8-10 separate branches to maximise the number of delegate votes you get. There is also an issue around belonging to an LEC that you live outside the electorate of. To do that you need approval from NZ Council. In fact, what this means is that there need to be Standard branches attached to LECs up and down the country -- there is little possibility of a big Mega Branch. I investigated this at some length in 2005, for an electronic branch for Young Labour. I got as far as getting permission from the Wellington Central LEC to use them as the proxy LEC for the branch. It was Alastair Cameron (current Chief of Staff for Shearer) who gave us that permission from memory. So find a nominal LEC to attach yourself to, and it can be done. Right now though, I don't suggest attaching yourself to New Lynn. Hutt South might be more fun Maybe New Zealand needs a Pirate Party. Dedicated to full internet freedom. Funding shouldn't be a problem. After having his hands burnt by the Right and with his peculiar personal interest in securing internet freedom. A certain Mr Dotcom might throw a few hundred dollars towards it. But