Seven Days for Socialism

The main meeting of the week was a “Four Party Forum” on Monday, 19th September at head office in Clapham. About forty people came along to hear H. Baldwin speak for the SPGB in opposition to a local Tory councillor and the National Chairman of the Young Liberals. The Labour party speaker failed to attend. Reports of this meeting appeared in several South London newspapers.

Outdoor meetings were held each night from Monday to Friday at Earls Court, these being supported in turn by West London, Greenford, South-West London and Paddington branches. A consistently good turn-out by members resulted in over 150 Socialist Standards being sold at these meetings.

In addition there were the normal weekly meetings held at East St., Walworth (Sunday), Lincoln’s Inn Fields (Monday), Tower Hill (Thursday) and Hyde Park (Sunday). In this same week SPGB speakers also addressed a number of youth political organisations, such as the Kingston and Malden Young Socialists and the Southend Young Liberals.

Glasgow branch started their campaign with a meeting at the McLellan Galleries on ‘The Challenge of Socialism’. About sixty people came along to hear the socialist case. On Tuesday, 20th September there was a literature drive in Ruchill ward and this was followed on the next day by a very successful indoor meeting at the Dixon Halls, Cathcart.

On top of this Glasgow members were busy bill-posting and distributing leaflets. Over the weekend period four outdoor meetings were held in Glasgow’ and another two in Edinburgh. 120 Socialist Standard and Western Socialists were sold during the week.

Our comrades in Swansea were less successful. Despite advertisements in the local press, only ten people turned up to the indoor meeting they had organised. Nevertheless, our comrade Ambridge spoke on the subject of socialism to this small but interested audience.

The Belfast branch of the World Socialist Party of Ireland made its usual herculean efforts to get the most out of their campaign. Literature drives covered the Duncairn, Falls, Stranmillis and Ormeau districts of Belfast as well as Larne. A number of indoor meetings were held despite the attempts of religious bigots (“devout believers in capitalism”, as one Belfast member put it) to wreck these. Unfortunately, it was impossible to organise any outdoor meetings because these are at present banned by the city authorities. However, the branch did prepare and distribute a special ‘Seven Days for Socialism’ leaflet.

In all a worthwhile effort and a useful limbering-up for the week of activities which is proposed for May, 1967.