Preliminary Agenda 2015
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Is anyone aware of "any abuses of party democracy" occuring due to the Socialist Party principle of holdng open,i.e. non secret, ballots during it's 110 year history?
If any such abuses are known how where they delt with and was the dealing with them appropriate?
Good question, I'm not aware of any abuses of open non-secret ballots in the SPGB history.A long time ago, was it ever heard of that members voting for motions that lost then being served with an action detrimental motion to expel them?
I believe The Monument does relate of an incident in which there were calls to expel members who voted against someone's expulsion…back in the 1930's….
I think The Monument places the incident earlier than that, in 1914-15. It's detailed on pages 48-50. The membersof a branch who voted against the branch expelling an individual member were themselves expelled in a party poll. A move was then made to charge the members who had voted in the party poll not to expel those who had voted against the expulsion of those who had not voted for the original expulsion. As it could only have happened because the ballot was not secret, it would seem to make a case for secret ballots.
If there was a case as described 100 years ago, the veracity of Barltrope's reporting was doubted shortly after publication by D'Arcy in the Standard, then the incident was not appropriately dealt with.I feel sure that party democracy has matured and become confident enough to deal with any mis-use of democracy. Surely if the party moves to secrecy in such a fundamental issue it is only a short step to secrecy in other areas of the party. And what would that mean to a socialist society?
Party ballots would originally have been open because voting took place at branches. Secret ballots only became possible when postal voting was adopted. The Party seems more or less evenly divided on this issue. In 2007 the following resolution was carried by by 58 votes to 36:
Quote:This Conference decides that henceforth all central Party membership votes shall be conducted as secret ballots.In 2011 it was reversed by this resolution carried by 53 votes to 39:
Quote:That the practice of holding secret ballots be discontinued.The 2007 vote would have been an open one while the 2011 vote would have been secret. Don't know if this explains the difference. It could just be that it proved too much of a hassle to organise secret ballots.Now it's back for another vote. This time open again.
Gary Cornwell wrote:I feel sure that party democracy has matured and become confident enough to deal with any mis-use of democracy. Surely if the party moves to secrecy in such a fundamental issue it is only a short step to secrecy in other areas of the party. And what would that mean to a socialist society?Good point but not sure I agree. Sub-Committees meet and make important decisions in secret which is in conflict with our outward claims. The Internet Committee makes day to day decisions on postings and suspensions behind closed doors and in secret, I have made suggestions how this could and should be stopped
Reminder: 1. The general topic of each forum is given by the posted forum description. Do not start a thread in a forum unless it matches the given topic, and do not derail existing threads with off-topic posts.
Am I the only one to see the absurdity of this situation? My post is no further off topic than 100’s of others, but I am being followed around by Mod1 with reminders and warnings. ffs comrade can you leave me alone. Besides you told me that you had more important things to do than to answer inane questions from a moron, but you find time to moderate every post I make. First warning: 1. The general topic of each forum is given by the posted forum description. Do not start a thread in a forum unless it matches the given topic, and do not derail existing threads with off-topic posts.
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