Why would membership of the SPGB be refused
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How long is it going to take to decide on a short program of activity – an hour tops – with all the experience and skills you have in the N.E.! How long is it going to take to write up a Statement of Intent – less than hour – with the breadth of understanding available in the N.E. ! How long is it going to take for comrades to acknowledge that such display of motivation is based on a committment to positive socialist activity -minutes!
Brian, I do not know why this insistence on "commitment" is so important to you? An hour, minutes, 2 hours, it will take as long as it takes Brian, as a member of a branch, you know this! Are you asking branches already in situ, to write and agree to, a program of meetings and activity? and N.E. is not even officially, up and running!It does not matter about the breadth of knowledge, understanding, preceeding commitment to activity, within the hoped for Branch, it will still take as long as it will take, proscription aside.Let it take, as long as it will take, comrade! No one here, is being disingenuous, we are actually as committed as your good self.As my eldest son would no doubt say at this juncture; "chill Winston, chill". Stevie, Chilled, Colborn.
By the way, I myself and Vin, have been active throughout. Vin with his vids, me with my letters to the press, and "communing" on various letter pages, posting sites.What have other members been doing? as much, less, just the same? Lets not go there! I, and Vin, are as committed as anyone, we have been, we are, we will be, end of!Adam, get in touch, or I'll ring you tomorrow, when I get back from hospital.Steven Colborn.
I hope I am not drifting too offtopic here but I have glimpsed a Form C. I know it is meant to be a financial statement but it asks questions obout the number of meetings etc. Does it need bringing up to date if it is to reflect how active a branch is?The same members are up to a lot more!Public meeting get very few attendees unless they are high profile like the Tatchell debate but on the internet the message is to potentially millions.I am thinking of the sterling work done by comrades on the internet. For example, two new applications from facebook invitations and discussions in one day. This is the result of comrades, myself included, on a laptop discussing socialism with interested parties. The Party's facebook page now has 473 members! Every time a party member makes aa post 473 people are notified. No public meeting can match that!We all know of the comrades making the SPGB presence known on the various leftwing forums, One particular comrade on revleft: 'The Idler' and myself when I can. The 'idler' gets the message to 100s if not 1000s.Then there is tweeting I am constantly quoting the party and tweeting pamphlets etc. There are millions of people on twitter.Then there are letters to the press, to the broadcasting companies, .BBC programs etc. Constant retweeting of Socialist Standard pamphletsI am producing a video putting the case against capitalism and for socialism from the perspective of the world socialist movementI daily attack misconceptions of socialism all over the internt. A local sypathiser I have been discussing the case with wishes to join.I will continue with these activities whether I am re admitted as a member or not . I doubt such activities will appear on the Form C in its present form.In fact the form C reminds me off those compulsory employee reports that encourage certain activities at the expense of others. Not sure what they are called . The way government first encouraged doctors to think of finance rather than their patients. But I rant!
That's the kind of "rant" I like to hear. Got a sweat on, just reading it! Power to your keyboard, vin.
northern light wrote:That's the kind of "rant" I like to hear. Got a sweat on, just reading it! Power to your keyboard, vin.Ha ha cheers ! Are you coming along to the NE branch meeting to be held soon, with your Form A? Or even without it!
Because of the obvious problems surrounding my application and the restoration of the ne branch I will withdraw a my application to rejoin the party until after 2014 annual conference.
That is a great shame Vin and will inevitably lead to a slowing down, of even nominally normal, branch activities in the NE. I had hoped, that with a willingness being shown, by members and ex members, to resume activity in this area, we could move on! Apparently, it would seem, this opinion was unrealistically optimistic.! There still appears to be a certain level of suspicion, scepticism and mistrust amongst and between members, which is unfortunate, inferences of collusion and underhanded methods, notwithstanding.What appeared, on the surface, to be a straightforward task of getting the NE Br up and running again, is being turned into a convoluted mess and I wish I knew why?Vin Marattys decision to defer his application, merely symptomatic of this. Steve Colborn.
I understand that NE branch will be discussed at Conference as a long standing 'problem' and I do not wish to add another 'variable ' into the equation. There are no 'hard feelings' from my side. I will still attend meetings etc
Now that the Annual Conference and elections are over I have to say that Conference had the opportunity to challenge the ECs decision to reject an application for membership from a socialist, and it didn't. If I had the right to appeal to conference I have to assume that my appeal would have been rejected. I fully accept that but find it difficult to respect it: Or understand it.
Vin Maratty wrote:Now that the Annual Conference and elections are over I have to say that Conference had the opportunity to challenge the ECs decision to reject an application for membership from a socialist, and it didn't. If I had the right to appeal to conference I have to assume that my appeal would have been rejected. I fully accept that but find it difficult to respect it: Or understand it.I see no reason why you do not re-apply through the local Branch soonest.
Brian wrote:Vin Maratty wrote:Now that the Annual Conference and elections are over I have to say that Conference had the opportunity to challenge the ECs decision to reject an application for membership from a socialist, and it didn't. If I had the right to appeal to conference I have to assume that my appeal would have been rejected. I fully accept that but find it difficult to respect it: Or understand it.I see no reason why you do not re-apply through the local Branch soonest.
I can think of one very good reason. The local branch, despite the best efforts of several comrades, is still not a functioning unit of the Party. I may be wrong but a recent online meeting of North East branch was inquorate.I would suggest that Vin applies to the Membership Application Committee by post or completes the online questionnaire.http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/membership-applicationAnyone who agrees with the object and principles of the Socialist Party of Great Britain can apply for membership.
The problem Brian, is that as of the latest Branch meeting, we have not yet had a quorate meeting! It has been suggested, that Vin apply to rejoin the Branch, at an E.Meeting and if accepted but inquorate, the acceptance of said Form A could be ratified at the next quorate meeting. Vin is of the opinion that this clould appear an underhanded way of rejoining a Party he has put so much of the last 37 years into and continues to do so. Whilst I understand his reticence and viewpoint, I urge him to reconsider.He has good ideas for following up the Party success with the PEB. Indeed, he has posted a few of his ideas on this site, which were well recieved. This aside, there is a branch of opinion, opposed, for whatever reason, to Vin's readmission, a quite (at times) vocal branch of opinion. The mess, some two years ago, that led to this sorry state of affairs, is continuing to hold sway over common sense.Please ,can we not put this behind us? We are, after all, supposed to be "Socialists". If we cannot put this kind of thing behind us in the here and now, in furtherance of our aim of getting rid of the greatest threat we, as workers face, Capitalism, how can we presume to claim that in Socialism we can and will work together to make a "new" society work?Steve.
"I can think of one very good reason. The local branch, despite the best efforts of several comrades, is still not a functioning unit of the Party. I may be wrong but a recent online meeting of North East branch was inquorate." Indeed it was Dave but as you, yourself recognise, N.E. comrades are trying to rectify the situation of meetings being inquorate. Rather than pouring cold water on these attempts, comrades should be encouraging N.E. Branch members and giving all support possible to return N.E. Branch to functioning viability. Up to and including, urging and facilitating all Socialists in the area, who are not currently members, to join.A statement of intent, that applications will be looked upon, on merit, and not on and with some "remembered history", would be a step towards this end.Do we want Socialism, or don't we?Steve.
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