Glasgow

Glasgow Branch comments on Final Agenda.
Glasgow branch will not have representation at conference and have instructed me to forward our worries concerning a couple of motions
A Full discussion around the Conference Preliminary Agenda resulted in concern around Motion 3 [Item 23]. It was recognised that members can vote against this motion, however, it was agreed that the secretary forward the concerns of comrade Davis who in his email contribution to the discussion indicated the devastating concerns shared by the branch that discontinuing would have. Glasgow Branch Minutes March 15th 2017
This is a member living in the north of Scotland and we think he expresses the problems for members should there be no more production of the Socialist Standard: Glasgow branch would wish that this be read or delivered to members for reading before conference discusses Item 23.
Hi Comrade,
I will be commenting on Motions 2 [Item 4], 3 [Item 23] and Discussion 3 [Item 6], but this entails several e-mails as we have a local problem. The whole strath was hit by an electric storm last week blowing supply transformers and numerous electronic devices. Normally my wife would print out your correspondence and I would have time to read several times before responding.
The desktop computer has a blown power supply despite surge protection and I am hoping to send my 2p worth on this old laptop with a speed of 2mb and constant loss of connection.
Item 4 –Section 3 refers to how the Party can get more from those of us unable to attend meetings. This tends to suggest that non attendees are inactive and disinterested. I know from my time in Tillycoultry the commitment it takes to regularly attend the Branch meetings come rain or shine, so I have seen no reason until now to assure you that I am not inactive.
My Standard gets read by our only PO manager, our only shopkeeper and the only restaurant owner. It sometimes takes weeks to return after being loaned to Bob , Jim Jane and Martha. (Item 23 take note) The restaurant now has visitors from all continents due to the North Coast 500 rivaling Route 66 in popularity. The owner is a supporter of the party and always gets me involved if any visitors show an interest in politics. He likes to wind up the local vicar by shouting out “Brian”s proselytising is better than yours “
I feel we could use retirees like myself to send off numerous articles to the letter pages of the media. I have always been careful when writing to the media not to use the Party name as I believe there is a restriction on unedited views? My last published letter correcting someone who thought China, Russia and North Korea had something to do with socialism brought a letter from a person suggesting I contact the SPGB as they had similar views.
Comments on Item 23 from the Lancaster branch re: ending the printing of the Standard. Times have not changed everywhere and I appreciate that those of us in rural backwaters may be viewed as Luddites, however I must protest at this suggestion. We are always castigating and giving examples of “bottom line” capitalism where profit is the only consideration. How hypocritical if we fail to realise how important the Standard is to those of us trying to inform our friends, acquaintances and strangers that there is an alternative to so called left/right reformism. I have explained earlier the problem of web speed locally, I cannot say to somebody “ look it up on the web”!!! I cannot get on to Spintcom myself, but is it not a case of preaching to the converted? I want to be able to give the printed word to interested parties free of charge, and I do. My daughter who lives in Edinburgh raids my archive of Standards dating back to the early 80’s whenever she comes north. These historical records she uses in debates with friends who may be attracted to reformist parties claiming to be socialist.
We need the Standard to be able to do our work of explaining that there is an alternative to capitalism. YFS Brian
On Item 23 Glasgow branch by 7 votes to nil agreed that every effort be made to have the Socialist Standard continued in some method or form.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2017 motion

We urge delegates to vote against the following motion at 2017 Conference from 10:30 on 29-30 April (item scheduled for Sunday 30 April) and for members and supporters to attend 52 Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UN and/or express their opposition by e-mail to spgb@worldsocialism.org  for the attention of the chair calling for ‘every new issue of the Socialist Standard to continue to be printed and distributed each month as usual’. “That the print Standard be discontinued from January 2018 and the online Standard become the Party’s official journal.” “ We are aware that this is likely to be an unpopular motion in some quarters, however socialists are nothing if not realists, and will recognise the grim inevitability of a resolution like this. Print sales are in terminal decline right across the news media, and we have been carrying the print Standard for years at a subsidy of around £1,000 per issue. Whether we can afford it now or in the future is beside the point.
Read more

Editorial: Not the Millenium

Image
Those who contributed to the first issue of the Socialist Standard 83 years ago shared an excitement and optimism difficult to conceive 1,000 uninterrupted issues on. As their high hopes dissolved in face of gruesome reality, they did what socialists have done ever since: propagated the case for a free society at every opportunity and by any means, usually with scant success. The journal’s vigour and survival through numerous testing times is testimony both to the soundness of our principles and analysis of capitalism’s operation, as well as a tribute to the dedication of individuals. That said, self congratulation would be both inappropriate and deluding, given that the subject for which we exist appears as remote as ever. The Standard has been the product of voluntary effort by hundreds of socialists with widely differing opinions about the best way to present the Party’s case. This has helped to mitigate a constant difficulty: we have had to be both a topical commen
Read more

Socialist Standard

The  Socialist Standard  is a monthly  socia list  newspaper published without interruption since 1904 by the  Socialist Party of Great Britain . The newspaper is written in a simple, direct style and focuses mainly on socialist advocacy and  Mar xian  analysis of current events, particularly those affecting the  United Ki ngdom . It was placed on a secret list of papers and magazines banned for export during  World War I , for its call for workers to refuse to fight for their countries and instead join the class war. In 1915 it published an article written by a member of the Bolshevik party calling for a socialist solution to the war. In 1918, however, the paper voiced the first doubts of the SPGB regarding the  Bolshevik Revolution  in Russia. In the 1930s it drew on the reports from  S pain  to produce articles on the looming menace of aerial warfare. During  World W ar II  the magazine evaded the censor largely by produ
Read more