Special post-election conference on the party and its future
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Special post-election conference on the party and its future. Here's the topic requested by another user. I think it might be a good idea post-election to engage in some assessment.
I've always assunmed there would be some sort of post-mortem, either a special delegate meeting or an out reach dept. meeting advertised to members.There'll be a lot to discuss, but much depends of what actually happens.
Some members can't make it to London, which is why I suggest a 'digital conference' with contributions from as many members as possible.I am sure 'digital' technology will play an important part in the Party's future.
No reason we can't do both: we get through more in person, but we have had online special meetings before (which worked quite well).
As i said on another thread, i don't think it is the right time to embark upon the full introspection i hope we will have.As has been pointed out, the appropriate committees must themselves have a review of their own activities…and perhaps function as a spring-boardI also think some members deserve a well-earned rest from "politics" for a little bitAs Brian rightly observed i am seeking a no-holds-barred debate…from the name of the party that has already been identified as a problem to our campaigning styles and the mediums we mostly use for them…It will raise the hackles when i suggest we should return to old discussions on such things as the prohibition of membership to holders of religious beliefs…a re-focus on our attitude and relationship with reforms, the use of the term of socialism and and associated language….I want an exchange of opinion on all our particular "heresies" And as i say…at the end of it , we may well find ourselves sticking to tried and trusted ways, confirming the wisdom of our existing ideas …and adopting only a few new ones….but we have to show a willingness and an enthusiasm to further political education gained from this valued experience of a direct involvement with people willing to engage with political views …far from being common, it is not something we have experienced so up-front in a long time…Not many have much time for self-indulgent intellectuals such as Will Self but this is what he said today
Quote:I’m no longer a socialist if to be one is to believe that a socialist utopia is attainable by some collective feat of will – but I remain a socialist, if by “socialism” is understood an antipathy to vested interests and privileges neither deserved nor earned, and a strong desire for a genuinely egalitarian society. And that is why, for the first time since 1997, I will be voting Labour in a general election.I think he represents a typical socialist sceptic that Vin has said we must begin to start convincing….But how?…Thats the question. ADM? Conference? At the end of any proposed review, it has to go through the party decision making…ultimately a party referendum…I think its easier to get rid of the chaff (which i already said still needs to be returned to and discussed and if necessary dismissed again) from the wheat in advance and it makes things a lot smoother for a workable Conference or ADM to cross the t and dot the i . The preliminary debate should be via the web, as Vin says, …and a summary eventualy produced for those still not online when it becomes apparent the various topics have been exhausted….arggg!!!…am i suggesting another ad-hoc sub-committee for this task…ouch!!!Anyways back to my opening opinions, i think this thread should be put on hold, til a better time then revived in preparation for a dedicated face to face occasion.
I agree with you Alan, that the dissection should be put on hold, though I see no reason why possible points of discussion can't be listed.As an ex SPGB member (aiming to rejoin in the not too distant future) I have a several areas for possible discussion to propose. Without going into detail.1) The Party name needs nailing down once and for all.2) The issue of technology and its use in future communication/promotion strategies.3) The hostility, inflexibility, aloofness and cynicism that could be handicapping the SPGB/WSM. Another possible one, that is linked to point number two. 4) A generalised election strategy/approach that can be adapted as required.
SocialistPunk wrote:1) The Party name needs nailing down once and for all.2) The issue of technology and its use in future communication/promotion strategies.3) The hostility, inflexibility, aloofness and cynicism that could be handicapping the SPGB/WSM. Another possible one, that is linked to point number two. 4) A generalised election strategy/approach that can be adapted as required.I would add:5) What should our key message be?as I wholeheartedly disagree with the conference resolution on the matter
Your points are well taken (by coincidence my very general view has just been posted on the Brand thread to your post there before i came here and saw this)I think you should quickly re-join, SP.The problem with the thread at the moment is that is has no official or collective legitimacy at the moment, members/sympathisers sounding off . There is no obligation to read it much less post on it. I think we have to use our democraatic structure…committees, EC and branches to urge and report on the future thread and therefore ensure that it is conducted in accordance with our democratic principles and traditions and give it a credibility that you me and a few others exchanging posts simply don't possess.Save your suggestions (i often forget things i have posted) and re-introduce them and of course add to them and elaborate on them when we are properly up and going. As BrianJ said, let's see what our appropriate committees also have to say , again because i think we have a party process and procedures that short-cutting in the long term will prove detrimental.
Vin wrote:SocialistPunk wrote:1) The Party name needs nailing down once and for all.2) The issue of technology and its use in future communication/promotion strategies.3) The hostility, inflexibility, aloofness and cynicism that could be handicapping the SPGB/WSM. Another possible one, that is linked to point number two. 4) A generalised election strategy/approach that can be adapted as required.I would add:5) What should our key message be?as I wholeheartedly disagree with the conference resolution on the matter
Was wondering what you mean by number five? What resolution?
"This Conference recommends that 'key messages' which can be made during the election campaign should focus on our rejection of leadership in favour of democracy and our aim for a moneyless world of free access."
jondwhite wrote:899 votes in total (averaging 0.19%?) thoughts?The aim of our election campaign was not about a vote count but to get the case for socialism heard. Now we have to decide on what particular activity will effectively promote the case in the long-term. In this respect there is the Welsh Government elections next year and the EU referendum in 2017. In the meantime we need to encourage individuals to take the canidates test and for more Branches to contest elections, have street stalls, hold public meetings.
jondwhite wrote:899 votes in total (averaging 0.19%?) thoughts?Can be used against us. Why should anyone listen to a party that gets less than 100 votes? It gives a weapon to our opponents We should forget elections until there is sufficient support to seek political control.Doesn't prevent us from having other types of campaigns.We don't need to stand at elections to attract members. In Seaham in the early 80s we built up a membership by holding meetings and leaflet dropping for example. (Tho' I am not advocating that today)I agree with the suggestion of a 'think tank'
Vin wrote:I would add:5) What should our key message be?as I wholeheartedly disagree with the conference resolution on the matterIt wasn't a conference resolution but only a pious floor resolution carried accidently which nobody took any notice of anyway and weren't required to.
All the information and facts are not in yet for anyone to come to a conclusion. My initial impression is that the rest of the Left was as poorly rewarded as ourselves (excluding the Greens). I'll probably get a better picture when the Weekly Worker reports as they usually do. i await the reports from all the relevant committees and i urge that they do not delay until ADM but begin to do so nowThe branches involved in the election have to meet and discuss the activities and results of their own election campaignsI suggest the EC formally announce and organise the procedures of a post-election analysis that includes an online component for the input of sympathetic non-members and ex-members , as well. Vin has suggested a "think-tank", we have one in the Elections Committee, but their remit should be expanded to coordinate a wider debate.In advance of the election candidates and interested members were invited to HO election "tutorials" meetings. I would like that repeated so there can be a face to face discussion with those people intimately engaged in the election to share the lessons they themselves acquired and what they feel is now required. I don't know the full financial cost of the election campaign yet.I don't know how many people have contacted the Party and i don't know how many will stay in contact with the party.Our votes was what many predicted. It never went up despite more access to the media but did it bring us closer and strengthen the bond of that audience? Have we been able to identify potential supporters and sympathisers of the party that previously were anonymous. Did the press adverts prove fruitful. Certainly for one branch most definitely not since they didn't realise they could have had one paid for by the party centrally but what about the Morning Star, was it an appropriate paper, what about the Argus(?), should we have had more local newspaper ads or were there other ways of advertising we could have used…bill-board? Campaigns (or is it called Outsourcing now) should be reviewing these ads and telling us the benefits from itI don't know if there will be a local effect on branches as yet but that must be the immediately strategy for them now.i don't know if the confidence and performance of our candidates at hustings have created extra and better public speakers. To sum up, our decision to tackle 10 seats raises more questions that answers at a practical propaganda level.More importantly they have highlighted deeper issues that we must address Our online internet presence was revealed as very weak and ineffectual mid-election by admissions of how we were not using Twitter (and i dare say this applies to Facebook and other social media too) as much as we could have to communicate our messagesOur actual identity was often confused by individuals and the media at the most basic level in that our name was mis-reported or associaited with other parties on the left We are once again without an officially approved Party logo, or one that is acceptable to the electoral commision rulesWe were, as expected, queried on our attitudes to individual reforms , and although we generally side-stepped these questions with our tandard reply, individual candidates were able to respond more specifically to them in a more positve manner, that showed that they were real concerns to us too. So has our anti-reformism overshadowed our support for workers seeking and organising for specific reforms in their interestsI think the core message that succeeded was that a vote for ourselves was a protest vote against capitalism but did we effectively reflect that and make it the central feature of our campaign? Was it head-lined sufficiently?Were people really excited that we were leader-less and our claims of being as the most democratic party believed?Should our election activity included extra-parliamentary actions such as protests and pickets for publicity such as when we were excluded from particular hustings or when those hustings were fronts manipulated by actual political parties. As i said, i hope the next EC meeting offers us a structured way of exchanging feedback on the election rather than only this thread.
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