December 2017 EC minutes

MINUTES OF THE 12th MEETING OF THE 114th EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF GREAT BRITAIN

held at Head Office, Saturday 2 December 2017 at 1.12pm

[Note: These are draft minutes only and are not official until adopted by the EC]

Present: M Browne, A Buick (chair), D Chesham, M Foster, M Tenner (minutes), G Thomas

In attendance: K Parkin

1. Minutes of the previous meeting

The Assistant Secretary requested that the amendments to the November minutes accepted in December be recorded. Comrade Foster’s name had been corrected from “Fowler”.

MOTION 1 (Browne and Chesham): ‘That the minutes as amended be adopted’ Agreed.

2. Matters arising from November and previous meeting minutes

1. E-mail from Cde Cox of the Media Committee, offering his resignation for mistakenly quoting 2017 rather than 1917 in press releases concerning the publication of Centenary of the Russian Revolution. MOTION 2 (Tenner and Foster): ‘That the resignation not be accepted’. Agreed.

2. E-mail from Cde Whitehead withdrawing from the post of trainee layout member of the Socialist Standard Production Committee due to changed circumstances. It was agreed that the matter be deferred pending enquiry as to whether he was able to assist from the February issue onwards. Agreed.

3. Letter from Bernard Holmes, a reader of the Socialist Standard, complaining that a friend had been present at a recent Manchester Branch meeting of the Party at which a member was expelled and accusing us of ‘shameful tactics . . . [with] the stench of Stalinism’. Cde Foster agreed to draft a reply for consideration.

4. Advertising the whiteboard video. Cde Chesham reported that he had sanctioned a spend of only £250 on YouTube (rather than the £1,000 agreed), since Cde Kirk of the Internet Committee had expressed reservations about the project given what he considered to be unsuitable aspects of our website: ‘[it] is not well suited to converting a visitor into a positive socialist resource.’ Although traffic through our site is substantially higher than in the recent past, Cde Chesham recommended that further spending be delayed until the revamp is completed, hopefully within the next three months. A separate, comprehensive analysis by Cde Kirk accompanied Cde Chesham’s report, for which the EC expressed its thanks. MOTION 3 (Tenner and Thomas): ‘That Cde Chesham’s proposal be endorsed and that further expenditure wait until website revision is completed in February.’ Carried 5-0-1.

5. Replacement computer printer. It was Agreed that the item be omitted from future EC agendas.

6. Party wall. Cde Chesham advised that the neighbouring premises were now advertised ‘For Let’ and that permission for the proposed building work would lapse in May.

7. Head Office staffing in December. Cde Beat would be attending on Thursdays; Cdes Buick and Bond on Mondays.

8. O’Gorman bequest. The Treasurer advised that ‘Charwyl’ was being auctioned by Savills in early December. It was agreed that Cde Thomas ask our solicitor, John Briggs, whether there was anything more we or he could do to hasten receipt of monies still due to us.

3. Forms A and F

1. Form A from the Membership Applications Committee for Robin Cox (Granada, Spain). MOTION 4 (Browne and Foster): ‘That the Form A be accepted.’ Carried 6-0-0

2. Form F for Robin Talbot, who stood as a UKIP candidate in the General Election and with whom contact could not be established. MOTION 5 (Chesham and Thomas): ‘That the Form F be accepted.’ Carried 6-0-0

4. Treasurer

1. Our external auditors, ASN, had submitted a bill for £6,744, an increase of approximately two-thirds on the cost of their previous work for us. Some discussion ensued, with agreement that alternative auditors be sought and that next year’s EC put in place measures to ensure full compliance with our statutory obligations. MOTION 6 (Thomas and Browne): ‘That the invoice be paid.’ Carried 5-1-0

2. Cdes Thomas and Tenner had attended a meeting at the Electoral Commission last Wednesday concerning our failure to submit reports on time and their resulting proposed financial penalty. The meeting went well and the Commission’s decision is awaited. Cde Buick agreed to become the Party’s Registered Treasurer with the Commission in Cde Martin’s place, until such time as a Party Treasurer is appointed.

3. Alliance Trust Savings requested another £100,000 cheque (to replace the one previously issued but returned pending our external auditor’s validation) in order to open the Investment Committee’s account with them. It was Agreed that a further cheque in the sum be sent.

5. Reports of Party Officers, Subcommittees and discussion of advertising, campaigns and the Socialist Standard

Ballot Committee

Only five EC nominations for 2018 had been received and the posts of General Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer remain vacant, with one Trustee and one Auditor also still needed. In these circumstances, the EC considered how best handle to the difficulties that would result.

1. Given that the new EC was likely to be inquorate, the following was proposed. MOTION 7 (Browne and Buick): ‘That the present EC hold an emergency meeting on 6 January to deal with matters of urgency; this to be followed immediately by a meeting of the 2018 EC.’ Carried 6-0-0

2. Cde Browne offered to attend Head Office for a few months in the new year to pay bills, making clear that he could not do so as Treasurer.

3. A further call was made for nominations for the 2018 EC and for Party Officers, with a closing date of Friday 19 January.

Organisational Structure Committee

The committee reported that 329 questionnaires had been sent to members and that it would report its findings to the February EC. It suggested that savings could be made by sending the majority of future communications to members via e-mail. Noted

Insert campaign

Cde Tenner reported that

1. The Observer had cancelled their charge of £3,000 for the recent insert following our complaint that the regional selections we made had not been adhered to. We therefore had the mailing free of charge.

2. EC members’ amendments to our From Capitalism to Socialism pamphlet (part of the information pack to respondents) had been incorporated into the new version. Difficulties with the InDesign software used meant that Cde Whitehead was assisting in preparation of the document for printing.

3. More than 200 trial subscriptions had been taken up from the campaign to date (the precise figure was unknown, record-keeping being a little erratic); and some readers had already paid for an annual subscription. New inserts would be proposed in January.

6. Correspondence

E-mail from Cde B Musemwa in Zimbabwe, suggesting that the Party should support him in contesting forthcoming elections as an independent MP. Cde Buick agreed to reply, pointing out that our rulebook states a) that members can only stand as a socialist and not an independent, and that the candidate’s test must anyway first be taken; and b) that a Conference resolution prevents Party money being sent abroad. We are, however, able to send leaflets and publications and assist in the translation of material into Shona.

E-mail from Kent & Sussex Regional Branch asking that the EC give consideration to advertising in geographical areas where we have existing branches, either through the Advertising Committee or by branches and groups themselves. It was Agreed that the proposal be referred to the Advertising Committee, funding already being available for individual, branch or group initiatives.

7. Any other business

1. A call for nominations for EC appointees and subcommittees was made, with a closing date of Friday 2 February.

2. A call for annual reports by appointees and subcommittees was made, with a closing date of Friday 2 February.

8. Chair and Minute Writer for next meeting. Cdes Browne and Buick respectively.

Meeting adjourned at 3.40pm