SPGB Meetings (1953)

Party News from the November 1953 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

I love the look of those meetings on "Literature and Society". It would have been interesting to see what  R. Coster (Robert Barltrop) had to say about Henry Miller. Barltrop did in fact publish an article in the June 1954 issue of the Socialist Standard on Mickey Spillane. I'm guessing there would have been an overlap between his Leyton Branch talk and the article.

Branch News (1963)

Party News from the November 1963 issue of the Socialist Standard

Seven Days for Socialism Week in Belfast opened on Sunday, September 22nd with an open air meeting in Blitz Square, Belfast and an indoor meeting in the Bakers Hall. Then there was the Wednesday night “Any Questions” at party Head Office; on Saturday a social where local members gathered to meet comrades from Glasgow, London and Dublin. On Sunday, 29th September there was an open air meeting at Customs House Square (one of the best meetings held by the Party for many years, a good collection and Literature sales and visiting speakers at their best). A further indoor meeting was held in the Bakers Hall and special drive for the SOCIALIST STANDARD resulted in 244 sales plus 30 Party pamphlets and over 1,000 back numbers of the SOCIALIST STANDARD, Western Socialists were distributed free and 2,000 leaflets. A very good week of activity and Belfast Branch is agreed that a similar week should be held at least once a year. The week showed the unity of the international Socialist movement with members coming to help from Glasgow, London, Armagh and Dublin. The meeting at the Customs House was the first ever held by the Party at this spot and the result was so good that the Branch is now holding regular meetings there.

Many propaganda activities are arranged for the end of October in London, and Glasgow, and outdoor and indoor meetings are planned by other Branches, including debates, and discussions. It will be too late to report them as we go to press, but it is heartening that so much continual activity is taking place in the Party. Glasgow and Bromley (group) and Lewisham in particular are canvassing and holding meetings in preparation for likely election campaigns. All these activities cost money and it is hoped that readers will not hesitate to send their contributions to E. Lake, the Treasurer at Head Office.

As last year, our team of literature sellers went to the Labour Party Conference at Scarborough, held meetings on the way, and sold 137 SOCIALIST STANDARDS and 90 pamphlets, realising £6 13s.

Several times this year the SOCIALIST STANDARD has been sold out by the end of the month—a good indication that our hope of a 10,000 monthly circulation are within the realms of possibility.

Phyllis Howard

Blogger's Note:

I knew that the 7 Days for Socialism campaign was something that the World Socialist Movement undertook in the late 1960s, but I did not know that there was an earlier pilot version of this campaign that dates from 1963. From this report, it looks like the idea of the campaign was initiated by comrades in Belfast.  

If you click on this link, you will see a series of reports from later 7 Days for Socialism campaigns.

SPGB Meetings and Rally (1963)

Party News from the November 1963 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1951)

Party News from the November 1951 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Link:

A couple of interesting links which give more background about Eddie Shaw and anarchism in Glasgow during the 1940s and 1950s:

• Anarchism in Glasgow (Interview)
• Not a Life Story, Just a Leaf From It by Robert Lynn

SPGB Meetings (1953)

Party News from the September 1953 issue of the Socialist Standard

Parliamentary Fund (1937)

From the October 1937 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1937)

Party News from the October 1937 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

It's interesting to note that a C. Umpleby was listed as a SPGB contact in Leeds during this period. I'm sure there was a Dave Umpleby who was active in the SPGB in South Yorkshire during the 1990s and 2000s. I wonder if they were related? Umpleby can't be that common a name.

SPGB Meetings (1955)

Party News from the October 1955 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1953)

Party News from the October 1953 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

During his first spell in the SPGB, Robert Barlrop's pen-name/party name was 'R. Coster'. 

'R. Coster' was speaking on the Kinsey Report at Head Office on the 25th October, 1953. The front page article in this month's Standard was by 'Coster'/Barltrop on the Kinsey Report.

SPGB Meetings: Glasgow and Lewisham (1963)

Party News from the October 1963 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

Interesting to note that one of the Glasgow Branch meetings featured a young Vic Vanni speaking on why he left the Labour Party.  I wonder if this was his first official speaking engagement for the SPGB? 

I wrote the following as a blogger's note back in 2018:

"Vic Vanni, prior to joining the SPGB, was the secretary of the Woodside constituency Labour Party. In choosing to leave the Labour Party for the SPGB, he passed up a potential fast tracked path into a career as a Labour Party politician. The secretary of a CLP was a big deal in those days.

. . . Woodside was a parliamentary constituency in Glasgow, Scotland, and the constituency Labour Party in Woodside was known as a left-wing stronghold in the 50s and 60s. Tony Cliff's International Socialists' - forerunners of the British SWP - gained a foothold in Woodside Labour Party Young Socialists (the late Paul Foot was recruited to the IS tradition in Glasgow at this time), and Young Guard newspaper at the time this article was published was a joint initiative by the IS and the RSL - forerunners of the Militant Tendency - who were both practising 'entryism' into the Labour Party." [From here.]

For more background on Vic, his obituary appeared in the February 2017 issue of the Socialist Standard.

Branch News (1962)

Party News from the October 1962 issue of the Socialist Standard

Dates to Remember. Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th, venue Head Office, 52 Clapham High Street, SW4—occasion—the 1962 Autumn Delegate Meeting. Fuller details on meetings page. The Propaganda Committee are arranging an evening indoor meeting after the Sunday’s proceedings. Thursday, October 18th at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London, W.C.1 at 7,30. Public meeting—support of Comrades and sympathisers will ensure that this meeting will he a successful one. Subject — “Labour Government or Socialism”. Speakers— Comrades E. Grant and E. Hardy. This is the first date that a meeting could be arranged after the Labour Party Conference and the speakers will be referring to this. As with all Party activity, the support of members is essential and is also most encouraging to those organising and speaking at the meetings—So Comrades, if you are not speaking or organising on this evening, please bring along as many friends and be available to help with literature sales, etc.

There will be a contingent of Socialist Party members in Brighton during the Labour Party Conference week which commences on October 1st. Our comrades will be around throughout the week to sell literature. Any Comrade living, or holidaying in the vicinity would be a welcome assistant. The Propaganda Committee are hoping to arrange some outdoor meetings at the week-end. The Comrades at Brighton will know about the meetings and will be able to give details to other Comrades who wish to support such meetings.

It is encouraging to see the list of lectures and meetings being held to start off the Autumn/Winter Propaganda session. Glasgow and Paddington Branches have arranged lectures right through to next Spring. Islington, Hackney and Lewisham, Ealing and Wembley Branches are also very energetic and have several meetings arranged. Hackney Branch for instance will hold regular meetings every second Wednesday in each month from October to March. All readers are cordially invited fas they are to all and every meeting of the Socialist Party of Great Britain—Executive Committee meetings included.

Lewisham Branch activity is increasing with the lectures arranged, correspondence with the Press, canvassing locally and work for the Bromley Group. The Branch members would be pleased if Comrades in near by branches could assist in billposting, printing and canvassing. A number of Branch members attended a public meeting of the local Committee of 100 and extended a challenge to debate. They hope the challenge will be accepted in the near future.

Ealing Branch commences its most ambitious programme of lectures, discussions and films. All members are asked to give the venture their fullest support and sympathisers are cordially invited. Two film shows are in the programme for October.

Wembley Branch Comrades were very gratified when comrade Michael’s recent talk on “The Socialist Revolution” attracted about twenty members of the local Labour Party Youth section (“Young Socialists”) There was good and lively discussion. September 10th was the date of the first indoor public meeting this Autumn, Comrade Hardy spoke on the “Common Market”. Among the other events planned the Branch hope to show a film on Cuba.

Two successful meetings have been held at Southsea this season. It is a pity that this station cannot be given greater attention. It was noted that audiences seemed more attentive than previously and literature sales were greater. Other outdoor meetings at Earls Court, in conjunction with Ealing Branch have been most encouraging, with large audiences and good literature sales.

Canvassing efforts continue month-by-month, and August 26th saw a small team visiting Stevenage in support of the new Mid-Herts Group. The Comrades hope that on the next more people will be at home to greet the canvassers. The result of the first canvass was rather disappointing but there will be another time!

The “New Zealand Building Worker” is reprinting the whole of our January Common Market articles in serial form. The first section appeared in their July issue and we have received their July and August numbers. Each section has a heading. The July issue contained the following:— “For the benefit of our members we intend to reprint from the Socialist Standard (England) a survey and analysis of the Common Market (E.E.C.). The complicated situation the United Kingdom finds herself in today is revealed in these articles which will be reprinted in succeeding issues of our journal”,

Phyllis Howard

SPGB Meetings (1962)

Party News from the October 1962 issue of the Socialist Standard

New Premises Fund (1936)

Party News from the October 1936 issue of the Socialist Standard

Again we have to remind readers that we need money urgently for our New Premises Fund. When the present renewal runs out, in about six months, we shall be faced with the need to secure other and larger headquarters. Our freedom of choice will be strictly limited by the amount of money we have in hand to enable us to meet removal and furnishing costs, and to pay the higher rent until our extended activities make it possible to pay the higher rent out of current income.

Send your donations to the Treasurer, 42, Great Dover Street, S. E. 1.

A list of donations is printed below: -

Meetings, Lectures, etc. (1936)

Party News from the October 1936 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1962)

Party News from the September 1962 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1963)

Party News from the December 1963 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1947)

Party News from the December 1947 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1947)

Party News from the November 1947 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Notes:

S. Lustigman was a member of South West London Branch of the SPGB from October 1942 until he resigned his membership for personal reasons in December 1952. According to the SPGB's membership records, he was a relative of longstanding SPGBer Julius Merry, who shared the same surname until he changed it because of anti-semitism.

The Revolutionary Communist Party's Jock Haston first encountered the SPGB at Hyde Park in the early 1930s. He recounted his experience in Sam Bornstein and Al Richardson's 1986 book, Against the Stream: A History of the Trotskyist Movement in Britain 1924-38:

"When I first began to question the C.P. line I still sold the Daily Worker, but at Marble Arch I came into contact with the Socialist Party of Great Britain, and a guy who was then the Secretary of the S.P.G.B. called Cohn. He gave me a terrible hammering one night on my ‘Leninism’, and I spent the whole night reading, and when I went back the following night he gave me a bigger hammering. For some months after that I used to attend S.P.G.B. meetings, and learned a great deal from the S.P.G.B. over the course of the next eight or nine months."

The 'Cohn' mentioned in the quote would have been Adolph Kohn. I'm not sure Kohn was the [General] Secretary of the Party in the 1930s but, at various times, he was on the editorial committee of the Socialist Standard.

SPGB Meetings (1948)

Party News from the October 1948 issue of the Socialist Standard

Donations to general account (1938)

Party News from the October 1938 issue of the Socialist Standard