Minutes of the 11th Meeting of the 106th Executive Committee
of The Socialist Party of Great Britain, held at
52 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UN
on the 7th November 2009
(These minutes are not official until ratified by the EC.)

Present: Allen, Browne, Buick, Carter, Deutz, Thomas.
Apologies for absence: M. Chesham, Johnson (illness), Miller (holiday),
Wigley (work).

The meeting started at 13.10

It was agreed that Browne should chair the meeting and Buick take the minutes

1 Minutes of the previous meeting
Adopted on motion of Thomas and Browne.

2 Matters Arising
a) Parliament pamphlet: Agreed to remind Publications Dept that reply
still awaited on whether or not it can be printed on the new photocopier
at HO.
b) Membership cards: Agreed that Comrade Buick contact Comrade McCullough.
c) New African subscription: No reply from Comrade Suhuyini. Agreed to do
nothing.
d) Fire alarm testing: Comrade Thomas had been off sick but would do this
the coming week.

3. Reports from Party Officers, Departments and Subcommittees
a) Premises Committee submitted new estimate for shop front following
council’s insistence that the frame be timber.
Buick and Carter moved “That the revised estimate of £10,527 + VAT be
accepted”. Carried 5-0, 1 abstention.
b) Premises Committee reported that following the film night the previous
Sunday the last to leave the building had left fires doors open.
Thomas and Allen moved “That the organisers of all meetings at HO ensure
that the premises are secure before the last person leaves.” Agreed.
c) Campaigns Dept reported that the debate with Eamonn Butler of the Adam
Smith Institute had been rescheduled for Thursday 4 February in the Small
Hall, Conway Hall at 7pm. Comrade Headicar would still represent the
Party. Eamonn Butler’s offer to share some of the costs would be taken
up. Noted.

4. Accounts
Comrade Foster, of West Midlands branch, asked that a deposit of 20% to
book Fircroft College for the 2010 Summer School be paid.
Allen and Browne moved “that the deposit of £1000.40p be paid”. Agreed.

5. Forms A
Membership Applications Dept submitted 3 Forms A with recommendation to
accept.
Kevin Charles (Ledbury)(Big Issue). Allen and Carter moved acceptance.
Agreed.
Claudia Hogg-Blake (Hull)(personal contact) and Johnny Mercer (Hull)(Hyde
Park). Allen and Carter moved that the 2 Forms A be accepted. Agreed.
Comrade Buick, Central Organiser, would contact the new members regarding
which branch they wanted to be in.

6. Correspondence
a) Binay Sarkar, of Calcutta, asked for permission to use a lengthy
passage from the Party’s 1948 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and the
Last Hundred Years in a forthcoming book. It was agreed to give him
permission to do so under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NoDerivs copyright.
b) Comrade Buick reported that we were short of The Impossiblists by Peter
Newell; it would cost £71.94 to buy a further 10 copies. Agreed to buy 10
copies.
c) Comrade Allen wrote suggesting that in future the book Socialism or
Your Money Back be sold only at the price of £1 and be advertised for sale
in the Socialist Standard for £1 plus postage and packaging. Agreed.
d) Comrade Allen wrote suggesting that the Party try to get at least one
speaker at next year’s Robert Tressell event in Hastings. Agreed to pass
the suggestion to the Campaigns Dept for them to write to the organisers
offering a Party speaker on some aspect of Tressell or his times.
e) Comrade Shodeke wrote that she had intended submitting a draft general
election manifesto to the EC meeting but was not well. It was agreed to
remind all members, via these Minutes, that draft manifestos could be
submitted at any time up over the next few months.

7. Any Other Business
a) Arising out of ADM, Comrade Browne raised the matter of this year’s
Conference resolution regarding employing someone which read:
“That, especially in the light of recent events, the EC investigate the
costs, procedures and duties incurred by the party establishing an
employed post, and report thereon to ADM with a view to hiring an employee
at the beginning of 2010”.
He had proposed putting this down as a Notice of Business for the December
EC meeting. The EC decided to appoint him to help Comrade Thomas, of the
Ad Hoc committee on the matter, to prepare a report for the next EC
Meeting.
b) Comrade Carter reported that the Book Sale on 31 October had resulted
in sales of £25. There followed a discussion on Head Office being used as
a general book store. All were agreed with the aims of getting people
inside the building and of raising some money for the party, but opinions
were divided on what books should be sold and at what price. Comrade
Comber, who organised the Book Sale, contributed to the discussion. It was
agreed to review the matter after the installation of the new shop front.

8. Chair for the next meeting: Comrade Carter

9. Date of next meeting: Saturday 5 December at 13.00

Adjourned 14.30

NOTICE: Members are reminded of the EC’s call for them to submit draft
manifestos for the General Election due before the end of May next year.