For those who want to play about, here is the link to a space where you can start hashing out a manifesto.

Here are the suggestions that came out of the debate on what Labourhome should do in the future. Thanks for all your suggestions. Please indicate your support or opposition to the ideas - and of course add more ideas if you like.

Thanks

Alex Hilton
alexhilton@gmail.com
07985 394 950

Comrades, Here at Labourhome, we're really pleased at how the community is growing and how the writers and contributors are increasing in number and in breadth of opinion. But what are the next steps we should take to build an online community for Labour members and supporters?

The Daily Mail has referred to this website in an article about the retirement of John Prescott.

I have left the comment below on their site - who knows whether or not they will allow it to be published...?

I'm keeping a list here of all the comments I delete. I have no intention of maintaining this in perpetuity. I have faith that most of the writers will stick to an unwritten code if it is made a little clearer.

I've been a member of the Labour Party for almost 9 months now, but I've been visiting this website for longer. I always viewed it as a useful way of determining the mood inside the party, speaking to fellow party members and discussing the policies that effect us and our party. But that seems to no longer be the case.

I'm in politics, and for all of us in this strange political world, there is a danger that we can start taking ourselves too seriously. In recent weeks, this website has been fulfilling my hopes at inception - that it would become a place where all leftists can feel welcome expressing and sharing their views. But now I need your help to make this site an asset to the Labour movement - or to tell me the site doesn't need a mission and this idea is just an example of me taking my Labourhome work too seriously.

The point of Labourhome, at inception, was to create a space where Labour supporters - or even just leftish people in general - could discuss issues and share information. The underlying aim is to make all readers, whatever their views, feel welcome expressing their point of view as long as a certain sense of comradeship is respected.

The impending leadership and deputy leadership elections have the potential to foster new divisions and if we let that happen, these elections become a zero sum game for the party instead of the showcase of ideas that could inspire new support in the country.

I am going to be helping Hilary Benn in his deputy leadership campaign, and I just wanted to let readers know this. I would like the supporters of any candidates to continue to feel welcome using Labourhome to publicise events, post interviews, videos or any other materials that is relevant without interference from me.

I also hope readers will let me know if they think Labourhome is becoming one-sided and I'll try to rectify it.

Many thanks

Alex

Please vote in the poll on the right...

Please accept my apologies for the 36 hour downtime on Labourhome - which is thankfully now recovered.

However, we are testing a new toy and thought you might like an early look to make up for our laxity.

As Labourhome approaches the 400th registered blogger mark in just over 3 months of being operational, we'd like to get your input into how we can make this site better. Please be frank, and all criticism toward this site will be considered constructive, one way or another.

PS: Alex and I are already working on enabling users to more easily add their aggregated content to the Bloggers4Labour functionality. We really won't be able to move forward without your comments, thoughts and opinions.

Just a note from the editors: If you're reading a "Recent Post" from the sidebar and you think it deserves more prominence, recommend it by clicking the "recommend" button, which is at the top of the sidebar whenyou are reading such a post.

After a few votes, this will send it to the "Recommended" secion above and draw it to the attention of the editors who may put it on the front page. Similarly, if you feel it isn't worthy of being recommended, click the "Not Recommend" button, and it counts as a -1 vote. Check the "Site Features" page out for more information on how to use this site efficiently and effectively.

Alex from Labourhome plays second fiddle to Tory blogger Iain Dale on GMTV.

This is just a note to let you know that I have started sorting out the links column. Please let me know if your link should be on the column and if I have miscategorised anyone

All the best

Alex Hilton
alexhilton@gmail.com

The Prime Minister has written for the Guardian's Comment is free blog under the title, "No more coded critiques - let's have an open debate on where we go next". Click here (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1806669,00.html) to see what he has to say.

Or click here (http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ros_taylor/2006/06/post_181.html) to see what the Guardian's Ros Taylor thinks of Labourhome.

Labourhome has now been live since about 8pm on Friday night and the response has been phenomenal.

When Alex Hilton invited me to post on here it reminded me of when Alastair Campbell was invited  by a newspaper to give the Tories some advice on presentation, except Alastair got paid for his thoughts.

Welcome to Labourhome.org. Last year Tim Montgomerie set up www.conservativehome.com and it seems to have done a good job at focusing grassroots Tory opinion - so we thought, "Why can't we do something like that?" - and we are unashamed at thanking Tim for leading the way. There are a lot of left leaning sites and blogs out there but after nine years in government, there is a temptation to be a bit inward looking. Labourhome aims to be a comfortable place for anyone who seeks social justice and wants to see the Labour Party achieve that aim. So it doesn't matter if you're disaffected over the Iraq War or other issues or even if you're the most die-hard blairite loyalists. From Harry's Place to Lenin's Tomb to the Euston Manifesto, you're welcome to post your opinions and ideas here and we hope you'll engage with the site and the other people also leaving there ideas here. We only ask that you respect other users' opinions and keep your comments civil and constructive. Other than that, you're free straight away to register and start leaving your thoughts (relating to politics/Labour) on your very own Labourhome blog. Readers can then vote to have your views recommended to the sidebar just as you can do so with others. All the best, The Editorial Team