Present: Bissett (Gen. Sec.), Carter, Lambert, Miller (Asst. Sec.),
Simkins,
Stair, Thomas, White
Apologies received for: Browne.
The meeting was held over until 3 pm as the Secretary was leafleting the
Climatic Change demonstration in Grosvenor Square.
Cde Thomas chaired the meeting.
1. Amendment and Adoption of Previous EC Minutes
a) The Minutes of the previous meeting were accepted as a true record.
Amendments were deferred until the December meeting. The copier at HO
was
undergoing repair so it had not been possible to send EC members the
normal
pre-EC mail-out which would have been inclusive of the 30th September
Minutes.
2. Matters Arising from Previous Minutes
a) Re. item 8.a.i of 30th September Minutes - the EC vacancy, Cde
Lawrence
having informed the previous meeting of his resignation from the EC. No
nominations were received.
b) Re. item 2.a of 30th September Minutes - deferred decision re.
nominations to
the GPC. Four nominations had been received for the GPC, from Cdes. H
Comber,
B Johnson, A Brady-Smith and G Thomas. The meeting focused on whether
the Party
really needed a GPC. Members who had served on previous GPCs cited
problems with
the functioning of the committee in the past. Cde Thomas, as Treasurer,
felt his
post was not too onerous and that there was little the GPC could deal
with that
he could not see to himself.
i) Miller & Lambert: "BIRT, as the 2006 EC is now in a position to
efficiently
deal with expense claims, the call for nominations to the GPC be
withdrawn."
Agreed: 7 for, 1 abstaining.
c) Self-nomination for the post of Central Branch Secretary received
from B
Johnson.
i) Lambert & Simkins: "That Cde. Johnson's self-nomination as
Central Branch
Secretary be accepted". Agreed: 7 for, 1 abstaining.
ii) Bissett & Lambert: "That the newly-appointed CBS liaise with
the Central
Organiser and the General Secretary in drawing up a new terms of
reference for
the post of CBS." Agreed: 7 for, 1 abstaining.
3. Accounts. No accounts presented to meeting.
4. Forms A
a) Forms A received for Alan Fenn (Central), coming into contact with
the Party
via J Suliman and D Topping (Manchester Branch), coming into contact
with the
Party via internet.
i) Lambert and White: "That the two Forms A be accepted". Agreed: 8-0.
5. Reports of Party Officers, Departments and Sub-Committees
a) Cde Bissett reported verbally on the blogsite. The site meter
suggested the
blog was well visited and from all over the world. Fourteen articles
had been
posted since the blog was created on 14th October. Cde Bissett informed
the
meeting that another blogsite had been created especially for Socialist
Banner
articles. The current issue was online and previous issues would be
uploaded.
Further self-nominations for the blogsite had been received from Cdes.
S Colborn
and R Stafford.
i) Thomas & Bissett: "That the self-nominations for the Blog Dept.
be accepted."
Agreed: 8-0.
b) Letter from M Browne (Ballott Committee) re. the call for
nominations for
Party Officers and Executive Committee. The closing date for the return
of
nominations to be 1st December. See below for further information.
Noted.
c) Report from Assistant Secretary on actions taken pursuant to the 1995
Conference resolution concerning the protection of the Party's identity
and
funds. The Socialist Studies group still conducted meetings in Hyde
Park under
our name. Kings Cross Brunswick Neighbourhood Centre who had previously
confirmed they were cancelling spurious meetings booked by the
Socialist Studies
group had now reinstated the meetings. It was noted that the Socialist
Studies
group had stopped sending their journal to HO. One member present, and
who still
received their journal, observed that the latest issue carried another
attack
upon the Party. Agreed the matter "lie on the table".
d) Report from the Premises Committee. The 3-month trial of cleaning HO
had
expired. The Committee felt that continued and regular cleaning of HO,
whilst
necessary, need not be performed to the degree it had been during the
trial
period. The Committee recommended that HO be cleaned one-and a -half
days per
month (12 hours) and that the Premises Committee be granted
£75.00 to pay
someone to do the work. Agreed to adopt.
6. Correspondence from Branches, Companion Parties and Members.
a) Undated letter/artwork received from C Robinson, re. erecting a
shelter for
smokers in the yard at Head Office and offering to carry out the
necessary work
during one month next year. After much debate, it was felt that no such
structure was necessary.
i) White & Lambert: "That the Secretary write to Cde Robinson
thanking him for
his detailed proposal, but declining the offer." Agreed: 7 for, 1
abstaining.
b) Letter from Joseph K Balikuddembe, Uganda, dated 4th October, re.
visiting
HO. Cde Balikuddembe sought permission from the EC to visit HO for a
few days to
meet EC and other members and to discuss matters regarding
strengthening links
with members in Uganda. The letter was a slight ambiguous in so far as
there was
no mention as to dates, the cost of travel and accommodation. The
meeting
stressed that permission was not needed for members to visit HO and to
talk with
the EC and other members.
i) Miller & Carter: "BIRT, the EC write to Cde Balikuddembe
indicating that he
is welcome to stay at HO for, but recommending that due to the
bureaucracy and
expenses he would incur, it may be more efficient for him carry out his
discussions in writing."
ii) White & Simkins moved to amend "insert 'for two or three nights
as
requested' between 'HO' and 'but'."
iii) Vote on the amendment. Lost: 2 for, 5 against.
iv) Vote on the substantive resolution: Carried: 6 for, 1 against, 1
abstaining.
c) Letter from Bill Martin regarding volunteer work. This was part of
Cde
Martin's resignation letter and referred to a library cataloguing
project he had
been working on, but which was still incomplete. Cde Martin sought
permission to
finish the cataloguing project at HO, but made no mention as to
Audio-Visual
Dept. work.
i) Miller & Bissett: "That Cde Martin's offer to finish the
cataloguing project
be accepted." Lost: 2 for, 4 against, 2 abstaining.
ii) Stair & Carter: "That the two departments [Research and
Audio-Visual]
contact Bill Martin to ascertain what he would suggest as to help
facilitate
matters regarding his proposal."
Lost: 3 for, 4 against, 1 abstainiung.
iii) Lambert & Carter: "BIRT, whilst welcoming the offer made by
Bill Martin,
the Gen Sec write to B Martin to ascertain the nature of the project so
tantalising close to completion."
iv) Miller & Bissett moved to amend: "Replace "Gen Sec" with
"Research
Department".
v) Vote on the amendment. Lost: 3 for, 5 against.
vi) Vote on the substantive resolution: Carried: 6 for, 1 against, 1
abstaining.
d) An undated letter was put before the meeting from Cde P Lawrence
(apparently
accidentally mixed in with the EC papers). The letter referred to a
pamphlet on
world hunger. The Sec stated the letter had been previously considered
- other
members were unsure - but the matter was deferred for further
confirmation [Gen
Sec's note: the letter was in fact considered by the February 2006
meeting at
item 10.3].
e) Letter from Cde Brady-Smith, dated 4th November, regarding living at
Head
Office. Cde Smith had, as per a previous EC resolution, stayed at HO
for 3
months whilst carrying out cleaning and other Party work, and now
sought an
extension of his stay and to carry on with the cleaning duties. The
letter was
considered in conjunction with the report from the Premises Committee
(above).
i) Carter & Lambert: "The EC is clear that comrades living at HO
need to be
carrying out specific work for the Party. It agrees to an extension of
Cde
Smith's stay for a further 2 months to enable him to find somewhere to
live."
Agreed: 6 for, 1 against, 1 abstaining.
7. Forms F
Forms F were received for:
a) Paula Winters (Glasgow, deceased); b) William Ross (Glasgow,
deceased); c)
Bill Martin (Central London, resigning); d) Eddie Grant (Central London,
lapsed); e) R Elsden (Enfield & Haringey, lapsed); f) Leevi
Byurahanga (Central,
resigned), g) Julius Rugogamu (Central, laspsed); h) Ishmael Mugyenzi
(Central,
resigned); i) Joe Richmond (Central, deceased). Agreed to accept all 9
Forms F.
8. Any Other Business
a) Letter from Alexander JLO Solicitors, dated 2nd November, notifying
the Party
that the late Arthur Mason had left the SPGB a legacy of just under
£49,000. The
solicitors requested we send them the requisite forms for the Inland
Revenue.
Cde. Buick (Elections Dept.), in attendance, pointed out that we could
not
declare the legacy until it had been received and even then it only had
to be
declared to the Electoral Commission.
i) Miller & Lambert: "That the AJLO Sol. Letter be referred to the
Treasurer in
the absence of a Legacy Committee." Agreed.
b) Email from Socialist Tendency, Sri-Lanka, dated 26/10/06. The
writer, Mahinda
Devage, on behalf of the Socialist Tendency - which had broken away
from the
USP, the Sri-Lankan sister party to Militant - sought to make contact
with
ourselves with a view to being part of a larger international
organisation. The
Secretary informed the meeting that he had since replied to the email,
requesting they explain more about their political position and to
forward any
available literature. Mahinda Devage had replied, saying literature
would be
sent.
c) A member was donating a 6' awning to protect smokers from harsh
weather
whilst smoking in the back yard (smoking now forbidden at HO).
d) Cde. Stair, for the Premises Committee, and as HOO, drew to the
attention of
the EC the parlous state of windows at Head Office. They needed urgently
replacing in the archives room (2 windows), library (2 windows),
utility room
and basement. The cost of these replacements, from Kingseal Windows
Ltd, would
be £4441.00 + VAT. Agreed.
e) Cde. Stair further presented to the EC plans to replace the windows
on the
balcony at HO - which were also in desperate need of repair, cracked
and leaking
in wet weather - complete with opening lights and motors. The cost of
this
window replacement project, carried out by the aforementioned window
specialists, would be £5278.00.
i) Simkins & Carter: "This EC approves the expenditure for the
refitting of the
balcony roof lights." Agreed 7-0.
f) Cde Stair gave a further verbal report on refurbishments required in
the
kitchen. Previous work had been halted on re-fitting the kitchen and
the parts
needed were now no longer available. New work tops, cabinets and doors
were
needed.
i)White & Stair: "That £500.00 be granted to refurbish the
kitchen." Agreed: 6
for, 1 against.
g) Socialist Principles Explained (French version). The meeting was
made aware
of a French translation of a 70s version of a Socialist Principles
Explained
pamphlet. Agreed to pass to the Publications Dept.
h) Cde. P Newell had written a 240 page book on the history of the
Socialist
Party of Canada. It was suggested the book would reach a much wider
audience if
published by a commercial publisher. Agreed that Cde Miller act as
agent in
sourcing the book with a commercial publisher.
i) Cde Bissett raised the matter of having an area to the front of HO
for use
as a bookshop, as discussed at Conference. Book shelves had been put up
near the
entrance door, but housed only Party literature. Cde Bissett queried
whether it
was possible that non-party books, the kind most members would endorse
as being
a valuable read, could be stocked and sold to members. It was generally
felt
there would be a problem in selling books not endorsed by the Party, in
so far
as their content might violate the "hostility clause".
j) Self nomination from Cde Roy Beat for the Research Dept.
i) Miller and Simkins: "That the self-nomination be accepted." Agreed.
k) Notice of business. Cde Bissett gave the meeting notice that at the
December
meeting he would raise the matter of the remit of the Research
Department.
l) Bissett & Thomas: "That the Assistant Secretary be paid an
outstanding £200
as per the December 2006 EC resolution." Agreed
With no further business to discuss the meeting adjourned at 19.30 pm.
Date of next meeting: 2nd December 2006.
Chair: Stair
Please Note
This is a call for nominations by branches for General Secretary,
Assistant
Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Central Organiser, two
Trustees, two
Auditors and ten EC posts. Nominations should be on a Form B along with
the
nominee's signed acceptance. For those members standing for a post for
the
first time, a short factual statement in support is required. This is
optional
for those members standing again for a post. All nominations are to be
at HO by
6 pm on Friday 1st December. |
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