THE SOCIALIST PARTY MINUTES OF THE 8TH MEETING OF THE 103RD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HELD AT HEAD OFFICE ON 5TH AUGUST 2006, COMMENCING AT 3.10 PM

Present: Bissett (Gen Sec), Browne, Lambert, Lawrence, Miller, Simkins, Stair, Thomas (Chair), White. Apologies: Carter (family business) 1. Amendment and Adoption of Previous EC Minutes 1.1) Re. item 2.2.iii of July Minutes. Cde Thomas was still to reply to the letter from Cde Newell. i. Browne & Miller: "That the Minutes be adopted as amended." Agreed 8-0. 2. Matters Arising 2.1) Re. item 2.5 of the July Minutes - Departmental budgets. a) Research Dept. No budget submitted. The department requested that expenses be paid on an ad-hoc basis. Agreed. b) Election Dept. No budget submitted. The department requested that expenses be paid on an ad-hoc basis. Agreed. c) Advertising Dept. No budget submitted. Noted. d) Publications Dept. No budget submitted. The department requested that expenses be paid on an ad-hoc basis. Agreed. e) Premises Committee. The committee requested that expenses be paid on an ad-hoc basis. Agreed. f) Internet department. Requested a budget of £2076.86 i. Stair & Browne: "That the Internet Department's budget request be approved." Agreed: 7 for, 1 against, 1 abstaining. g) Socialist Standard Dept. The department requested a budget of £9456.00. Agreed. h) Audio Dept. Cde Stair gave a verbal report, requesting the department claim expenses on an ad-hoc basis. i. Browne & Lambert: "That the report be accepted." Agreed. i) Blog Dept. No report received. Noted. j) Campaigns Dept. The department requested that expenses be paid on an ad-hoc basis. i. Browne & Lambert: "That the report be accepted." Agreed. k) VPD. No report received. Noted. 2.2) Re. item 1 of EC Minutes for January. Call for an Assistant Secretary. i. Bissett & Browne: "That Cde Miller be appointed Assistant Secretary." Agreed: 7 for 2 abstaining. 3. ADM 14th & 15th October 2006 3.1) A call is made for items for discussion for the October ADM. Please could branch secretaries send any items for discussion and if necessary, a supportive statement to Standings Orders Committee at HO by Friday 1st September 2006. A further cal is made for reports from Party Officers, Departments and Committees for ADM. Reports should cover work carried out since Conference this year and contain any plans for the coming year. Reports should be at HO by Saturday 2nd September. 4. Accounts 4.1) No accounts were presented to the meeting. The Treasurer cited recent personal problems as interfering with Party Treasury work. 5) Forms A No Forms A received. 6. Reports from Party Officers, Departments and Sub Committees a) Report from Ad-Hoc Legacy Committee. The meeting considered a letter from the Treasurer dated 3rd August 2006. Since the Committee last reported (28th June) a further £9.384 had been received in part settlement. The main portfolio was currently valued at just over £95,000 plus interest. Other shares were worth £1,950.00. The EC was being asked to decide what should be done about any money that we may have lost between October 2003 and the date of the sale of the shares. The EC was also asked to consider the matter of any charges that may have arisen while the estate was unnecessarily under administration. The meeting queried just how much the Party could legally recover, considering we became beneficiaries in October 2003. i. Miller & Lambert: "The Ad-Hoc Legacy Committee recover any charges that may have arisen while the George Pooley Estate was unnecessarily in administration." ii. Stair & Lambert moved an amendment: "Replace 'recovery' with 'investigate recovery of'" iii. Vote on the amendment - Carried: 9-0. iv. Vote on the substantive resolution - Carried: 9-0. v. Miller & Lambert: "That the matter of recovering the difference in the value of the George Pooley Estate shares be deferred until the value of the shares has been assessed." Agreed: 9-0. b) Report from Advertising Department. Noted. c) Report from Election Department. Noted. d) Verbal Report from Cde Miller of the Internet Department. The new Party website would be up in a few days, complete with a donations link and an improved search engine. Noted with approval. e) Report from the Premises Committee. Along with reference to work carried out in the past month, the Committee reported on plans for new shelving and flooring in the library. Cde. Helps, a skilled carpenter, had offered to refit the HO library free of charge. Cde Miller, for the Committee, further reported that the HO main printer had just broken down and was beyond repair, and suggested it be replaced with a new laser printer. i) White & Lambert: "That we accept Cde Helps' offer to install improved shelving in the library." Agreed: 9-0 ii) Browne & Bissett: "The EC grants up to £300.00 to purchase a new printer." Agreed: 9-0 f) Letter from Cde Smith, dated 4th August, 2006. Cde Smith was offering to carryout cleaning work at HO and requested to be temporarily accommodated at HO. This item had further been referred to in the Premises Committee's report. i. Browne & Lambert: "That Cde Smith's request to stay at HO for 3 months be approved." Agreed: 6 for, 2 against, 1 abstaining. A division was called for. For: Bissett, Browne, Lambert, Simkins, Stair and Thomas. Against: White and Lawrence. Abstaining: Miller. g) Report of the Publication's Department. Cdes. Stair and Bissett referred to item 4 if the report, namely the publication of A4 booklets by Cde Parker, pointing out that the publications were not approved by the department. The department further referred to plans to produce pamphlets containing the writings of John Keracher and Rosa Luxemburg i. Lawrence & Thomas: "That Item 4 of the Publications Department report be referred back to them for a further report. Agreed: 6 for, 2 against, 1 abstaining. h) Report of the Research Department. Noted. i) Report of the Socialist Standard Department. Noted. j) Report on actions taken pursuant to the 1995 Conference Resolution concerning the protection of the Party's identity and funds*. Cde Miller presented the meeting with a report on actions taken in conjunction with Party officers and departments to safeguard the Party name and funds from third parties (i.e the Socialist Studies group). Much of the ensuing debate concerned whether the Party should actually contact law enforcement officials to protect our name and funds. It was pointed out that one judge and two lawyers had said we had a legal case for suing the Socialist Studies group for 'passing off' (a common tort). i. Lambert & Stair: "That the Assistant Secretary be authorised to cooperate with law enforcement officials in the matter of investigating and shutting down bank accounts and PO Boxes, in accordance with the 1995 Conference resolution concerning protection of the Party's identity and funds." Agreed: 7 for, 1 against, 1 abstaining. A division was called for. For: Bissett Browne, Lambert, Lawrence, Miller, Stair, Thomas, White. Against: Simkins. Abstaining: Miller. ii. Stair & Miller: "That we authorise expenses for consulting a lawyer concerning legal recourses concerning the use of the Party's names." Lost: 3, for, 5 against. iii. Browne & Thomas: "Defer the whole report one month." Agreed. 7. Correspondence from Branches, Companion parties and Members a) Resolution from Manchester Branch dated 12 July, sent in response to item 2.6 of the July EC Minutes: "That Manchester Branch see no need for a Party poll on sending money overseas as this has already been voted on as a Conference resolution." (Carried 8-0, 8 present) Manchester Branch further requested that their resolution from 12th June - on the EC rescinding its resolution on sending money to Kabale) - be presented to the EC. The resolution in question was: "Manchester Branch insist that the EC comply with the democratic party decision (Motion 2) and rescind its decision to send a grant to Kabale." (Carried 7-0, 8 present). The EC noted both resolutions. i. Miller & Stair: "That Motion 2,6.vi of the July Minutes be interpreted as having effectively rescinded the June EC Kabale resolution." Lost: 2 for, 3 against, 4 abstaining. A division was called for. For: Stair and Miller, Against: Bissett, Simkins and White. Abstaining: Browne, Lawrence and Thomas. ii. White & Stair: "The EC agrees with Manchester Branch's resolution, and the decision to send a grant to Kabale is hereby rescinded." Chair ruled this motion out of order, citing Standing Orders number 17. ** iii) Lawrence & Simkins moved "next business." Agreed. b) Resolution from West London Branch, dated 28th July 2006. "This branch deplores the EC's decision to consider an annual expenditure of £2000 on the professional cleaning of HO, and urges that the views of branches be sought before any extension of the 3-month trial is agreed." (Carried 5-0, 5 members present). i. Browne & Simkins: "The resolution from West London Branch be noted and the Branch be informed that the EC did not consider an 'annual expenditure of £2000', only a 3 month trial." Carried: 6 for, 2 against. ii. White and Lawrence: "The EC agrees with West London Branch's request to seek branches' views on the cleaning of HO and the Gen Sec write to branches accordingly." Lost: 2 for, 6 against. c) Letter from West London Branch, dated 2nd August 2006. The Branch secretary wrote that he was instructed to raise with the EC the failure of last year's EC to respond to the 2004 instructed Conference resolution on the facade of HO, which called for something more imaginative than a brick wall and which was overwhelmingly carried. West London asked that the matter be reinstated on the agenda. West London branch further nominated Cde M Martin for the Campaigns Department. i. Lawrence & Stair: "That the Premises Committee report on the matter raised by the resolution from West London Branch on the HO frontage." Agreed: 8-0. ii. Stair & Browne: "That Cde M Martin be accepted on to the Campaigns Dept." Agreed: 8-0. d) WSPNZ Minutes for July. Noted. e) SPC Newsletters for July and August. Noted. f) Letter from Cde Miller of 11th July, regarding the comrades in Kabale. Cde Miller had been alerted, while attending, in a personal capacity, a meeting of the Socialist Studies group on 11th July, to the possibility that the Kabale comrades were disaffiliating from us and considering affiliating with the Socialist Studies group. The meeting was given sight of email communication between ex-member Weijagye Justus of Kabale and the Socialist Studies secretary, along with an email sent by Cde Miller to Weijagye Justus, explaining why the Socialist Studies group were expelled from the Socialist Party. g) Email from Ishamael Mugyenzi, Secretary of the Kabale group dated 12th July. Cde Mugyenzi, replying to an email from the Gen Sec, wrote "rest assured that the Kabale Socialist Club has no connection with this group [Socialist Studies]." Cde Mugyenzi said that if Weijagye Justus has been in touch with them it had been on an individual level. 8. Any Other Business a) Verbal petition from Cde Miller to continue to stay and work at HO. Cde Miller cited health reasons as to why he could not take up the employment he had expected to after leaving in August (his initial proposed date of leaving). There was much work Cde Miller wished to carry on with at HO, such as digitalising the Socialist Standard and Party archives. i. Stair & Simkins: "That Cde Miller be authorised to continue his stay at HO." Agreed: 7 for, 1 abstaining. b) Miller and White: "That the EC henceforth hold meetings twice monthly." Lost: 3 for, 4 against, 1 abstaining. c) White & Browne: "That the EC call for nominations for the General Purposes Committee in accordance with the Conference resolution of 1992. Return date for nominations to be next month's EC meeting." Agreed: 7 for, 1 abstaining." *** d) Stair gave notice of business for the next meeting: "Clarification of the motion concerning rescinding the previous motion concerning money being sent overseas." With no further business to discuss the meeting ended at 8.00 pm Next Meeting: 2.00 pm, 2nd September 2006, at Head Office. Chair For Next meeting: Browne. *The 1995 Conference resolution to protect the Party's identity: "This Conference supports any lawful action to protect the legal identity and funds of the Socialist Party of Great Britain" ** EC Standing Orders 17: An EC resolution may not be rescinded except by a Notice of Motion as in Clause 15 above: in exceptional circumstances the proposal to rescind may be considered immediately if at least a quorum of the EC votes for urgency. ***The 1992 Conference resolution on the Formation of a General Purposes Committee: "This Conference instructs the EC to appoint, in accordance with rule 17, a General Purpose Subcommittee of five members, with a quorum of three, whose remit shall be to deal, in between meetings of the EC, with such routine financial and purely administrative matters as the EC may decide. This subcommittee shall only take decisions by consensus and shall submit Minutes of its business to the next following EC Meeting and all branches. EC Members and Party Officers may be nominated for this General Purposes Committee." PLEASE NOTE ADM. A call is made for items for discussion for the October ADM. Please could branch secretaries send any items for discussion and if necessary, a supportive statement to Standings Orders Committee at HO by Friday 1st September 2006. A further cal is made for reports from Party Officers, Departments and Committees for ADM. Reports should cover work carried out since Conference this year and contain any plans for the coming year. Reports should be at HO by Saturday 2nd September.