SPGB ADM
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Quote:We don't need transcripts of the entire tedious discussion, salient points raised, and decisions made will do.
If debate and discussion is tedious then why even bother meeting at all and not just have branches circulate their supporting statements then go straight to the poll and have an end to conference and ADM. After all, with the party poll deciding and most of those members are not present, and having in the past a limited report from delegates if they are lucky, the proceedings of conferences are rather superfluous. Not wishing to cast blame but any minute taker should not be the one to decide what is a salient point…i have witnessed contributions that have been lengthy and incorporating several points and the minutes failed to cover them all or indicate speaker placing his or her order of importance.Anyway, the issue of minutes is rather moot because the solution is available now…recording conference and making it available to members through the web…and in future to have conference live online for non-attending members to watch, if not participate. I have said we would need to adjust standing orders of our meetings to permit this. No one is forced to listen or watch online unlike the attendees !! We can make a beginning with EC meetings who have had EC members using Skype, there is no reason why we shouldn't expand to permit members to watch…and as i said…even join in with the permission of the chair.
There's more to democracy than just minutes. Transcripts, recordings, video conferencing and livestreams are all additional ways of extending democracy especially to those including non-members who cannot attend meetings in person.Minutes can also be more time consuming to create than transcripts.
alanjjohnstone wrote:Quote:We don't need transcripts of the entire tedious discussion, salient points raised, and decisions made will do.If debate and discussion is tedious then why even bother meeting at all and not just have branches circulate their supporting statements then go straight to the poll and have an end to conference and ADM. After all, with the party poll deciding and most of those members are not present, and having in the past a limited report from delegates if they are lucky, the proceedings of conferences are rather superfluous.
I have a considerable degree of sympathy with Alan's position having argued for a long time that reports of meetings, particularly those of the Executive Committee, should be more, rather than less, explicit, not just that those not present have a more complete sense of the proceedings but also, based on the contributions made by individual EC members, to enable them to make better informed judgments when voting in party ballots. As part of the drive towards greater openness and informed participatory democracy, I have been a staunch advocate of branch minutes being, not only 'freely available', but routinely published online. Half the party's branches now do that.However, the problem comes back, as ever, to available personnel. As an organisation we are struggling, both with sustaining activity and coping administratively. At least one London branch is having a problem reaching a quorum at its monthly meetings and many branches elsewhere are experiencing similar difficulties. We have neither a General Secretary nor Assistant Secretary and only eight nominations to date for the 2016 Executive Committee. There have been technical problems recently with the HO database which has caused a considerable amount of extra work and there's a shortage of members generally, especially those with a modicum of technical know-how, to carry out the day-to-day running of the party. Until we can successfully address these basic issues talk of using Skype, Video Conferencing and Livestreams, etc., desirable as they undoubtedly are, is simply moonshine as things presently stand.
I really wish I had not started this thread. We are where we are and I look to the future, don't blame today's cdes. But for the tech bods – what is needed to stream EC meeting( live or almost)Cameras,mics for each delegate and a roaming micBig mixing deskgood internet connectionInternet softwareI know there will be more…..Note = we dont need it to be two way. Onlookers can email a designated member at HO with questions and if necessary he/she can put it to EC
Just to confirm what 'democracy ' means in the SPGB = the twitter account inquired by NERB months ago nay years – is handed over to a companion party despite all due democratic processes being followed. What sort of democracy is this called Central control
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