alanjjohnstone
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I am sure once the debate on this discussion forum really gets going (rather than the restricted committee questionnaire and conference vote/party poll) it can involve all members of the WSM and the individual views of companion party members will be most welcome and be highly valued.I am sure you will not be left out of the loop, Marcos. One thing we can be assured of, as always with the SPGB…decisions will not be made in secret.
Can this survey/questionaire be emailed to myself, if it has not been taken care of.Can the data you cite that has already been collated be placed online at an appropriate place or provided on request to assist in any replies to the committee.
I'm not so sure i am a cynic…but perhaps someone who has come to accept that things change and we require to adjust to new situations and conditions. Nothing stays the same, does it?I have never claimed to know the answers but repeatedly suggested we defer to the collective knowledge of all the party in an organised exchange of views which is capable of enacting decisions made, not this piece-meal dribs and drabs approach which we appear to have adopted.
I recall you once called change within the Party happens at glacial speed. It is a description i often use myself, now, Gnome. And over the years you, yourself, have voiced disquiet about Party procedures and actions. But you may treat my criticism as unfair and unjustified, (perhaps even as unwelcomed meddling from an "outsider" as it often appears to those living abroad and recently expressed rather bluntly) and come to the defence of our committees but i am trying to make comrades note the serious and increasingly deleterious state of the Party. We do no favours to the case for socialism by ignoring current trends. Acknowledging them is one thing but a reluctance to address them is quite another.I am happy enough to accept that there are signs that we may well be adapting but there has to be a systematic approach to reforming (dare i say it, re-forming) the party. I am hoping the committee looking into a national organisation structure will take the necessary first steps. I should point out in your message the glaring facts that it was 3 years between producing videos, that the webpage upgrade was delayed, that our book suffered from a lack of promotion since two committees (publications and media) appeared to be not in contact with one another to coordinate its launch, a more fundamental failure than crossing the t and dotting the i. As for being proud…reprinting past articles, all available in our archives…you and my understanding of accomplishment are greatly different. As for the insertion of leaflets in the press perhaps you can keep s all appraised on the number of enquiries and the increase in membership due to the campaign so far. And in case there is a misunderstanding…i am all for spending money on advertising…Each branch should be allotted funds to place ads in their local press…just to show they are still going, if not particularly active.
I know many will see the urgency in the matter but we have waited 114 years so let us wait for a bit longer and see what structure is suggested by the investigation into becoming organised as a national party and not one based upon branches.You are right about going nowhere fast via the forum, Vin, but truth to be told, we'd still be going nowhere fast even with the EC or Conference taking the initiative. You know that only too well yourself.My point is always that we may not have the actual membership to accomplish what we wish…but we do have the money to pay people who can. But perhaps wiser minds than mine are to be heeded counseling prudence when it comes to our legacies…Although i wonder what legacy we will leave behind to the socialist case, in the end, if the party expires.
If we ourselves struggle to keep our website improved it is no surprise our companion party lacking the resources have a greater problem.If we are willing to pay professionals to help our own website, i think we could subsidise our own companion parties to seek paid-help to make changes to their websites. As i keep saying, money right now is not our problem. We should be spreading the cash around the WSM. The SPC has a problem that you cannot provide links to specific articles which makes promoting it a bit more difficult.We won't be able to challenge the DSA if we do not have an effective online presence, much less a physical one.I cannot comment on Facebook but SPC appear to have a stronger presence on Twitter feeds. A comrade tried to invite their blog to be again active but so far no success.I'm known for my doom and gloom outlook, but there is a real cause for pessimism. I want to be proved wrong. As Gnome says we have survived to advocate the message of real socialism but we cannot guarantee that will continue in the future. We have seen many strong seemingly healthy political parties wither on the vine and disappear. We are not immune to extinction ourselves…Jamaica group…Australia…African groups…Ireland…And within the UK, new branches are not appearing but old ones are vanishing.No-one wishes to join a fading party. If they seek socialism they seek to be active in achieving it and they will settle for something lesser if it nevertheless gives an expression and an outlet for their socialist ideas. People need to feel they have an impact…even if it is keeping alive the memory of what socialism once was …and keeping the hope alive for what it could become in the future…We are losing the battle on both these fronts. And what happens is that others like the DSA or Socialist Alternative fill the vacuum.Yes, I have a rather negative expectation…show me I am wrong, comrades. Suggest a strategy where we can survive and thrive.
Broken link to the WSPS on this page http://www.worldsocialism.org/english/companion-parties-socialismDiscovered when i had a request for a link to provide further information. the WSPUS is an attractive – looking site but as Marcos said, its front page requires re-freshing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Lynch_(Argentina)For more on the family tree
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/jeremy-corbyn-visits-radical-bookshop-after-paying-respects-to-davey-hopper-1-8041829We can extend our own hospitality and invite Jeremy to No. 52 for tea and biscuits
Quote:Why don't create something similar for the Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles? Most of them speak English. We had a group in JamaicaWe'd like to but as always just maintaining daily updates for our current blogs…we have three on the go…is fairly demanding on time.With more volunteers from around the world willing to submit news items, we could create a global blog, which was our general idea…but alas…we struggle as it is to interest other members into even visiting the blogs, much less contributing.Even this discussion forum seems to be lacking traffic right now.
Quote:The party from Africa is newer and they are posting messages almost every day, and they have a long contact lists.I am not sure who you are referring to here.We have our blog Socialist Banner that is updated daily but sadly the involvement of any individual socialist from Africa is negligible apart from the occasional article. We continue the blog in the hope of merely keeping the seat warm for someone with more connection with African politics.The Blog Committee at one time did consider re-vamping the SOYMB blog and did a rough prototype of the possible blog with different pages divided into geographic regions with expected input from members of the companion parties but in the end thought it not feasible at this moment in time and the project was dropped.
Quote:What is the WSPUS doing in the USA ? …Doing its best, notwithstanding all the distorters and detractors, in keeping alive the real meaning of socialism in the US.I think we have to consider the state of our party and our companion parties. It is not a healthy one, as i am sure many would agree.We are considering a national structure for ourselves. It is a shame that the remit does not go wider and produce suggestions on creating a real World Socialist Movement…a unified world party. Would such a re-organisation help to reverse the downward trend of membership and participation? Well, that is up for debate, a debate we cannot avoid having even if we do presently procrastinate.
Something to read about the DSA and the Democratic Partyhttp://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/42609-how-democratic-socialists-worked-with-sanders-s-our-revolution-and-other-grassroots-groups-to-sweep-november-s-elections
Quote:You had to be running as a Socialist. You didn't have to be a DSA member, Ginger Jentzen is not. But you had to be a Socialist and be okay with talking about it, even if it wasn't in the forefront of your campaign.my emphasis
