alanjjohnstone
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Certainly, Hollyhead's post makes us cautious and considering the many changes in employment law it means we need to take professional up-to-date advice from an employment expert. Also, we should think that for members outwith London applying for a full-time job, living above shop at HO may well be a necessity and brings its own set of employment rules that must be abided by.But i fear anything less than following the letter of the law will lead to complications in the future. Do we want to be in a position that a future employee of the Party has a falling out and takes industrial action against ourselves and the EC has to cross a picket lineThe other option is to "bribe" volunteers with generous out-of-pocket expenses but this too may well not be clear-cut tax-wise or for those on some sort of benefits.
Rather than the customary commemorative issue of the Socialist Standard and a few special public meetings, has anybody got any suggestions for some other sort of event that could bring us a bit publicity.Despite some thinking the grave a monstrosity i am sure there will be a long line of groups taking their turn to be videoed and photographed doing a grave-side speech so that is out, i think.
Quote:Yes its a good return in respect of surveys generallyPerhaps for general surveys but this was not a general survey but a request from the Party to its members for information to determine the future of the Party and the return was dismal when put into that context.I'll leave others to do the maths but it now seems like most of the Party doesn't give a toss for the Party's survival, certainly not enough concern to put aside 10 minutes to answer this survey, so we can't expect any physical assistance or internet contributions from them, can we, no matter how member-friendly we make the organisational structure.This places everything into perspective.As a political party, our effective functional membership is less than a hundred. And it is on that figure we must now base all our decisions and proposals, and no longer a fictitious card-carrying number.Perhaps, as Gnome suggests for his own branch, a paring of the dead leaves is necessary, a weeding out, so to permit healthy growth of the Party.I'm not happy with that suggestion and will be pleased if it can be rebuffed with a more optimistic suggestion. As an aside, 50% postal and 50% email replies does undermine my own proposal to go to a more online model as premature.
In response to someone who wished to create an interest in socialism/working class politics, i ventured to suggest that he studies his local small town's history for events which he could then draw attention to in his local press and try to interest people in commemorating them. It is a tried and trusted way of campaigning without seemingly being overtly political.
Are we now going to be presented with an opportunity to check out our theory in practice? When Scottish workers tax rises, will their wages rise too?http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-42339146
Another overly-approving article on UBI once again demonstrating that it is simply a re-structuring of the tax allowanceshttps://www.socialeurope.eu/universal-basic-income-definitions-details
This is their own report of the meeting which includes the presentations of the speakershttp://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201712/14536/icc-day-discussion-russian-revolutionIt also states the responses to questions raise by the SPGB at the meetingWas October a soviet revolution or a coup by the Bolsheviks?This was posed by a comrade from the SPGB which defends the latter position. The February Revolution – bourgeois or proletarian?Were the workers simply used as a battering ram to get rid of the Czar and put the bourgeoisie in power? This was the view of the comrade from the SPGB.I note that we are referred to as comrades
Quote:The fact I have taken out small segments of a contributon, to comment upon, is not to be construed as an attack upon the individuals. Yet this often happens. Not in this instance I should think, as we know each other.Indeed so, Matt. You are only too aware that even when we fully agree, i shall play the Devils Advocate so to sharpen our arguments and strengthen our case. And i am aware of your genuine sincerity and integrity in your treatment and attitude towards fellow-members, even those you find difficult to communicate with.I try and i usually succeed (according to third parties, that is, but i am sure some on this list can cite my occasional lapses) to maintain a degree of civility when i disagree with another. Comradely debate need not be acrimonious and certainly it should always show due respect to opponents. And some members know i don't take offence to the banter that can arise on threads when it is done in good humour (so rest easy ALB, the price of my amusement is only a pint of Guinness when we next meet up)JWD, perhaps you can furnish the list of minor parties Head Offices and where they are located. What is the situation now for SPEW in its facilities. Did they lose all that infrastructure or have it still intact? If it all dissolved who were the beneficiaries.I recall the furore when Scargill re-located the NUM HQ out of London and although there are many regional offices, isn't every union HQ still in London. For a union it is explicable, they have to be close to the centre of decision making – Whitehall and the City of London. Is such a requirement needed of ourselvesI think we all know the practice of even the main parties in an election campaign to have a presence on the ground. They temporary rent local vacant shops, shove up a banner and few placards. I think BrianG and myself share the same concern (and he is free to correct me), that complacency about our future health based on bricks and mortar and bank balances will not lead to the necessary remedial action to maintain ourselves as a fully functioning and effective political party. If that truly is the prognosis, we require a Plan B for ourselves, a re-brand and re-launch as something quite different.Examples of this transition is few and far between, and i'm not sure of any that have been successful. If not, why not?I have kept saying that change within the Party has to be as harmonious one as possible making use of our shared collective wisdom (but accept that a similar Socialist Studies "splinter" is possible") I have also repeated that it will be a lengthy process, not one to be accomplished in a year or so, even though time waits for no-one.I have endorsed the pending report on the re-organisation of the Party as a much-welcomed first-step and i emphasise that, a first-step.I'm under no misunderstanding that other changes, some even more fundamental, may be called upon before the Party is set upon the right course.
Who keeps instigating and expanding this debate, ALB…i'm the one opening the door to others, not slamming it shut so it is not discussed
Another aspect of the re-organisation of the Party and one where some members who may well believe that the continuance of the Standard is the priority would be the option of structuring ourselves around it.This historically been the choice for various left-wing groups, who unable to become themselves as a proper political party they became paper-sellers – Militant being an example of when the paper became their platform for their programmeIf the suggestion is that we become a national membership organisation and branches become activity groups, the obvious one is local Socialist Standard Reading Groups. To satisfy Marcos' suggestion for the Party to offer more education, each issue could carry a special section of socialist thought to discuss and debate at local SSRG meetings.I have been to a few different branches, where once Party business was done and dusted, a special talk took place and that created an interest in attending.Matt, profit for retailers will only come at a bigger cover price for the Standard to present retailers with a big mark-up…money in their till. I think this was also discussed previously to get a foot in the door and meant operating a dual price system…one for buyers from shops and another price in the street or at meetings. Possible. But i am not convinced I once was in Glasgow where Barretts sells the Standard. Instead of buying their copies from Vic, the Lit Sec, members were told to go to Barretts and buy it there to show a positive demand. Once we have or foot in the door , that tactic might work.But on the grand stage, expecting anti-socialist businesses to help dig their own graves by selling the Standard…hmmm…all very well that they sell some Marx…even Tsarist Russia's censors allowed that…they didn't expect ordinary folk to read it…but the Socialist Standard is not abstract. I do recall the glossy New Socialist did have some success in using the commercial channels for circulation…Living Marxism also trie. I'm sure JWD can provide chapter and verse on the figures and results of those twoAs i said, like yourself, i have no solution and to use an analogy, when a scientist says he understands quantum physics, you can be sure he doesn't. As ALB said , the SS readers survey makes interesting reading…We are ever more dependent subscriptions now for the hard-copy.The free access online though is the one development that has widened circulation. A pop-up web ad could be used to try to get more subscriptions. I see this often.I certainly oppose any form of pay-wall that a few members sought to have but registering for free access may be a compromise…in return, we get email addresses for special notifications of Party activities and news. But that has a down-side too. People dislike the hassle and also suspect privacy breachesSo still no quick fix or magic bullet from me.Again the questionnaire didn't quite explore this issue, did it?
Oh, i should add, i think it was Stair, an experienced bookseller, a few years ago, investigated and then tried using the book/magazine distribution service to widen our outlets. We added a bar-code to the Standard for the convenience of the retailers. But it came to nought. The usual conventional newsagents may like Private Eye, but they didn't like us. The Morning Star even has better success but they do have the NUJ behind them and credentials as a genuine newspaper, even if we do dispute that claim.
Quote:we could have an appeal fund for itOr simply spend the money we already have and presently keep in special investment accounts, Matt.Certainly, the 3-issue special promotion is something that could be built upon and i think it is with the mail-out inserts in various popular journals. ( I even once took advantage of it during my absence to check on the progress of the Party)As you know our own branch was instrumental in suggesting bigger print-runs for May which were low-cost so that it could request larger of orders for the Standard so that it could be distributed free at May-day rallies. Although it definitely drew attention to our presence at those, i don't believe it increased the circulation of the Standard and had little success in recruitment.But i am at a loss to come up with any scheme that could counter its declining sales and outlets.The excellent design and lay-out and quality paper certainly escape blame. It has consistently been a quality magazine.Is it the subject matter of the Standard's content? Compared with other monthly journals i think it compares quite fairly in the range and depth of the articles.There was suggestions, and i recall it might have been from BrianG but i could be wrong that we have a discussion section and i am sure PaddyS also wanted a debating segment for views and opinions that were not part and parcel of the Socialist Party's case. Space and the limitations rather than a principle objection to the idea of offering a platform to non-members i think put that indefinitely on the back-burner. I think i have also raise the idea of guests getting more exposure, arising from the popularity of Paul Mattick interview and Andrew Kliman meeting and Michael Alberts comments we published.My criticism (and i say this as a regular contributor) is that often articles may not always be up-to-date since the cut-off is halfway through the previous month and by the new month events have moved on or changed or new events over-shadowed earlier ones. It is a problem to respond to "current affairs". The editors do their best to tweak articles so that the time-lag is not too evident.Of course, the Party's founders imagined the monthly journal would become a weekly and then a daily…but alas…However, in these days of alternatives to print….well, you all know where i am going with that… You would being doing this topic a favour by directing exchanges towards practical ways of promoting the Standard. Just how do we promote the Party, especially when we lack the means to street-sell as we once did, and have no desire to conscript and compel members to do so like the SWP because we are voluntarist organisation.
