Editorial: Our 28th Annual Conference

The Annual Conferences of the S.P.G.B. are not at all like the conferences of other political parties. Nothing ever happens at them that a press representative would regard as “news.” Nobody makes passionate speeches about the suffering’s of mankind, or the wickedness of political opponents. We have no window dressing. No resolutions are passed calling upon governments, over whom we have no control whatever, to do this that or the other thing because we say so—as is the practice of the so-called Labour organisations. Delegates do not call each other rogues or anti-Socialists. Most amazing of all to our opponents we have no faction fight between left, right, and centre wings. We have no wings, for we are all Socialists, all agreed about the end and the means. What then is there for our conference to do? We meet to review the work of the past year, to revise rules where necessary, to exchange views on methods of propaganda and possible improvements, and in general to make our party a more effective instrument.

This year the delegates met in a happy frame of mind. In each of the past 3 or 4 years some part of the load of difficulty under which the Party works has been lifted from our shoulders. More new members have come in, funds have been more adequate to our needs, our removal to larger, premises has justified itself, and all because the tide is slowly and almost imperceptibly turning in our direction. The year 1931 was, in regard to membership and in other respects, a record year, and the confidence of the delegates reflected this. Our propaganda was on a larger scale, the sales of THE SOCIALIST STANDARD and of pamphlets increased, and in one way or another the Party is becoming known to a larger circle here and abroad. From several countries we have encouraging reports of the headway made by our companion parties.

This does not mean that the Conference was self-satisfied. On the contrary there was a noticeable anxiety, particularly among provincial delegates, lest our immersion in the tedious and back-breaking work of past years should have made us slow to appreciate the changing conditions around us. So the Conference pressed for more new pamphlets without delay, and special consideration of the task of training new members, and views were expressed on the possibility of increasing the size of THE SOCIALIST STANDARD, a matter that will be fully gone into in the near future. Steps will also by taken to extend the advertising campaign through which we have gained many new supporters during 1931.

There is every reason to expect that the coming propaganda season during the summer months is going to be the best we have ever had, and that our Conference in 1933 will be a milestone in our history.