Booming democracy or ‘mob rule’? Battle for Labour is about to begin

Will empowering eager members spell trouble for MPs?“Labour meetings here used to be sedentary affairs,” says party member Tariq Persaud Parkes, as we sit down in the Havelock pub in the centre of Hastings. “Now it’s the opposite. These days we need a bigger venue every time. Everyone is putting their hand up to ask questions. People are taking part again.”Parkes has arranged to meet the Observer, with two other members of the Hastings branch, after work. But within