Present: Bissett (Gen Sec), Browne, Miller (Asst. Sec), Stair, Thomas.
Apologies received for: Carter, Lambert, Lawrence and White
Absent: Simkins.
Cde Miller chaired the meeting.
1. Amendment and Adoption of Previous EC Minutes
a) The Internet Dept. report was not recorded as having been received
at item
3.1 of the previous minutes.
i) Browne & Miller: That the amended minutes be adopted as a true
record."
Agreed 5-0.
2. Matters Arising from Previous Minutes
a) Re. item 2.2ii of September Minutes (deferred decision re.
nominations to the
GPC).
i) Browne & Thomas: "This EC extends the deadline for nominations
to the General
Purposes Committee to the next EC meeting on 4/11/06." Agreed 5-0.
b) Re. item 7.c.i of August Minutes and item 2.3 of September Minutes
(resolution requesting the Premises Committee to report on the matter
of the HO
facade as per the 2005 Conference Resolution on the matter). Premises
Cttee.
members present at the table reported that they had been too busy and
had not
had a chance to meet and fully discuss the matter. Planning permission
would
have to be sought as HO was a Grade 2 listed building, and a change to
the
frontage of HO could affect the Party's insurance.
c) Re. item 6.3 of September Minutes (demise of the Kabale Socialist
Club). The
Secretary presented a report to the meeting on communications with the
members
concerned in Kabale. Two members in Kabale (Ishmael Mugyenzi and Leevi
Byaruhanga) had emailed saying they had resigned. Three members
elsewhere in
Uganda had been in touch saying they still wished to stay with the WSM.
The
former had said they were resigning on the grounds they had been
referred to as
"conmen" on a Communist League website. The Gen. Sec. had observed that
according to the CL website, the Kabale Comrades had met and decided to
join the
CL some 43 days prior to the date Ishmael Mugyenzi and Leevi Byaruhanga
had
contacted the Party saying they were resigning. No further news had been
received since the Gen. Sec. had prepared the report.
d) Re. item 6.8.iii of September Minutes (resolution requesting the Ads
Dept. to
provide a budget for May 2006-April 2007 by the next EC meeting). This
would be
considered at 6.e below.
e) Re. item 8.3 of the September Minutes, Stair raised the matter of PC
encryption. It was pointed out that Microsoft Access provided no
encryption
programme. The PC in question did have a decent firewall. All info
stored on the
database was also backed up regularly on disc.
i) Browne & Thomas: "That the matter be deferred one month." Lost.
2 for, 2
against, 1 abstaining.
3. ADM
3.1) Reports from Departments
a) Advertising Dept.
i) Bissett & Thomas: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0.
b) Blogsite Dept. No report received. Members cited that the main
stalling issue
was one over the name of the Blogsite and its tag-line. Noted.
c) Research Dept. In considering the report the Assistant Sec. referred
to the
1974 Conference Resolution, observing that publications carry the date
of
printing
i) Thomas & Browne: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0
d) Video Production Dept.
i) Thomas & Browne: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0.
3.2) Reports from Committees
a) Socialist Banner Editorial Committee. In considering the report, the
Gen.
Sec. pointed out that it would be helpful if Cde Suhuyini could be
subscribed to
the monthly journal New African, to keep him informed of news and
issues from
around Africa.
i) Browne & Stair: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0.
ii) Thomas & Stair: "Conditional upon his acceptance, Cde Suhuyini
be subscribed
to New African." Agreed 5-0.
3.3) Reports from Party Officers and Appointees
a) Report from the Central Organiser.
i) Browne & Thomas: "That the report be noted." Agreed 5-0.
b) Report of the Assistant Secretary.
i) Thomas & Browne: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0.
c) Addendum to the Treasurer's report as presented last month.
i) Browne & Bissett: "That the report be noted.
3.4) Coordination
a) Agreed the Treasurer's report be considered on the afternoon of the
first
day at ADM. Agreed that the layout be decided by the Gen. Sec, Assist.
Sec. and
Standing Orders. Agreed that departments not submitting reports - e.g.,
Media -
be listed as "none received" or "no appointees".
5. Accounts
a) Accounts were presented for 1st June-30th June.
b) The Treasurer reported that a new cash book was now in use at HO for
petty
cash/loose money spent on everyday items at HO.
i) Browne & Bissett: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0.
6. Forms A
a) Four Forms A were received for Adam Fern, Stuart Gibson, S J Pentlin
and
Matthew Williams. The Form A and Questionnaire for Adam Fern had been
accepted
by the Membership Department, but the Form A had yet to be signed.
i) Thomas & Brown: "That the Form A for Adam Fern be deferred until
the Form A
is signed. Agreed 5-0.
ii) Bissett & Thomas: "That the Form A for Stuart Gibson be
accepted." Agreed
5-0.
iii) Browne & Thomas: "That the Form A for S J Pentlin be
accepted." Agreed 5-0.
iv) Thomas & Bissett: "That the Form A for Matthew Williams be
accepted. Agreed
5-0.
7) Reports of Officers, Departments and Sub Committees
a) Report received from Assistant Secretary on actions taken pursuant
to the
1995 Conference resolution concerning protection of the Party's
identity and
funds. Discussion centred on whether the Socialist Studies group should
be
invited to ADM in light of the fact that a report concerning the
defence of the
party name - initiated in part by the Socialist Studies group's use of
the SPGB
name - would be presented to ADM. The Assistant Sec. made clear the
issue was
not about destroying the Socialist Studies group, but one of preventing
misuse
of the Party name.
i) Thomas & Miller: "That the Gen. Sec. write to the Socialist
Studies group,
drawing their attention to the fact that the use of the name of the
Party will
be discussed at our ADM." Carried. 3 for, 1 against, 1 abstaining. A
division
was called for. For: Bissett, Miller and Thomas. Against: Browne.
Abstaining:
Stair.
ii) Thomas & Browne: "That the report be accepted. Agreed 5-0.
b) Report from the Internet Department.
i) Browne & Thomas: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0.
c) Report from the Election Department. The Dept. referred the EC to the
Electoral Registration Act which came into force on September 11th and
which
allows the Party to register, in addition to our name, up to a further
twelve
variations of up to six words each. The Dept. was recommending that the
Party
register, before the 31st October deadline, the names "The Socialist
Party" and
"SPGB".
i) Thomas & Miller: "That the EC adopt the report of the Election
Department
and that the names 'The Socialist Party' and 'SPGB' be registered under
the
Electoral Administration Act." Agreed 5-0.
d) Report from the Assistant Secretary. A combined customer relations
management/accounting software package has been installed on the HO
computers.
This would enable the Party to produce professional-looking invoices.
The
software also has fully featured double-book accounting. The Assistant
Sec. also
referred to a 2005 decision to grant the Internet Dept. £300 to
source the
design of logos for the Party's website. A graphic designer, Terry King
of Blue
Wolf Design Group was contacted with a view to producing a set of logos
representing the WSM and SPGB. Mr King would also be designing
letterheads for
the SPGB which could include one of the logos. As HO had ran out of
letter
headed paper before Mr King was contacted, the Assist. Sec. had
produced a
design to used temporarily (this being an update of the "Unite for
Socialism"
logo). The Assist. Sec. sought the EC's comments on the logos,
especially with
regards using any on letter headed paper.
i) Thomas & Browne: "That pending a Party decision, letterheads
omit the use of
a logo." Lost: 2 for, 2 against, 1 abstaining. A division was called
for. For:
Browne and Thomas. Against: Bissett and Miller. Abstaining: Stair.
ii) Thomas & Bissett: "That the report be adopted." Agreed 5-0.
e) Report from the Advertising Department, deferred from 2.d above. The
Dept.
had requested a budget of £3529 for the next 12 months. This
would include: a)
12 monthly ads in New Statesman at £35.75 per month. b) Three ads
in New
Internationalist. An additional 10,000 inserts to be placed in the same
publication in January, at a cost of £1000 per 10,000 inserts. c)
Six adverts in
Private Eye at £100 per ad. d) To advertise as and when the Party
was offered
cheap adverts in Big Issue and New Humanist (£400 - £500
allowed for this).
i) Stair & Thomas: "That the budget request be accepted." Agreed
5-0.
f) Report from the ad-hoc Committee investigating the circumstances
surrounding
the George Pooley Estate. It was agreed that the Treasurer write to the
solicitor Mr J Briggs asking about costs, his expenses so far and the
best way
to proceed.
8) Correspondence from Branches, Companion Parties and Members
a) Resolution from West London Branch, dated 25th September: "That the
EC be
asked to consider the installation of a fire alarm system at Head
office, in
view of the new statutory regulations outlined in the Premises
Committee report
to ADM." (Carried 6-0, 6 members present).
i) Browne & Thomas: "That the matter be deferred one month pending
a report from
the Premises Committee." Agreed 5-0.
b) Resolution from Central London Branch, dated 26th September : "BIRT
the
Branch ask the EC to recommend to the Publications, Advertising and
Campaigns
Departments to avail themselves of the Party's textbook on design (see
September
EC Minutes, item 6.5) so that the Party's leaflets and other
publications look
more professional and attractive." (Carried 4-0).
i) Bissett & Stair: "That two more copies of The Non-Designer's
Design Book by
Robin Williams be purchased." Agreed 5-0.
c) Newsletter from Socialist Party of Canada. Noted
d) Email from Pieter Lawrence, dated 30th September. Cde Lawrence was
sending
his apologies for the meeting in progress and resigning from the EC
because of
an ongoing medical condition.
i) Thomas & Stair: "The EC accepts Cde. Lawrence's resignation with
much regret
and calls for nominations for the EC vacancy to be made by the next EC
meeting
on 4th November."
9. Forms F
a) Three Form's F were received for GA Assirati (Central London
Branch), D
Greenwood (Central London Branch) and Adam Jaffer (Central Branch). All
three
members were resigning. Agreed to accept.
b) The meeting agreed to defer processing the Forms F for the members
in Kabale
(see 2.c above) until the November meeting.
10. AOB
a) Email received from the Socialist Think Tank of Uganda, dated 19th
Septemebr.
The organisation - apparently wholly reformist according to their
website -
sought partnership with the SPGB and funding on joint projects. Agreed
the Gen.
Sec. would reply.
b) Stair, for the Premises Committee, reported that scaffolding had
been erected
at HO some two months ago and that there was still work that needed to
be
completed. It was agreed to ask R Beat and D Chesham to finish the work.
c) Browne & Thomas: "This EC authorises up to £100 for hiring
a marquee for the
ADM social." Agreed 5-0.
With no further business to discuss the meeting adjourned at 18.25 pm.
Date of next meeting: 4th November 2006.
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