dj - I too believe everyone's vote is of equal value but is every vote of equal value to the Labour Party? By that I mean that if you do not check out the credentials as far as you are able and have a cut off point then how do you know who is voting for your leader? Just suppose, worst case scenario, loads of UKIP voters joined up to vote for the leader of the Labour Party and then went on to infiltrate the party at local level etc and pushed their own agenda would you be happy that their votes were of equal value to the Party? After all they lay claim to having won over disillusioned Labour voters. What is to stop them making it Labour UKIP instead of, say, Labour Momentum or Labour Traditional? This is my dilemma. Just again suppose the NEC is abolished and the leader decides on the rules for the leadership and states you can join and vote up to 24 hours before the poll closes, would you see that as democratic and everyone's vote having equal value? To me, you have a body that sets your rules for such contests and because they have been voted for by the existing party members they are seen to have the authority to make these rules. They decided you had to be a member for six months which seems reasonable to me. They also allowed a window for those disenfranchised, or not yet members, to apply to join as supporters. Again, to me that seems reasonable. Admittedly this came with a price but the price was surely to weed out those who were purely mischief makers, and I take Trisher's previous point that not everyone can afford that fee. But the rules state you must pay for yourself and some joined by crowdfunding. This raises the question as to who was behind the crowdfunding? Can the LP guarantee that it was done with the pure intent to allow genuine LP supporters to join up or could perhaps a less friendly organisation be behind it and getting existing LP members to actually fund the downfall of their own party? I would really like to hear responses from those who support JC on this as to why they think the NEC setting rules for the contest is wrong and why they think the LP election machinery should not be given time to check whether people are genuinely interested in the LP or not? Perhaps I am being too cautious here and everyone joining up has our best interests at heart but what if they don't? Above all we need an effective leader and an effective opposition and, at the next election, an effective government.