Branch News (1962)

Party News from the July 1962 issue of the Socialist Standard

Wembley Branch has continued active and has seized the opportunity afforded by finer weather to step up efforts. Regular canvasses are still being held at the rate of one a month and a combined canvass and meeting was held at Portsmouth on June 17th. Alternating with Ealing Branch, meetings are being run every other Thursday at Earls Court throughout the Summer Season. All members arc urged to give these their utmost support.

Locally, the branch has plans for advertising its meetings by poster on Railway. Station hoardings in the area and suitable posters are being designed. Lectures and discussions are held every other Monday and these are always advertised in the local press. Often, outsiders attend and help to liven proceedings. A film show “The German Story" was scheduled for June 18th, but we go to press too early for a report on it. We hope to do this next month.

Glasgow have made a very good start and by the end of May four outdoor meetings had been held, average audience 100. Literature sales and collections amounting to nearly £5. The last indoor meeting of the winter season was held at Woodside Halls where the audience was 57 and literature sales and collection was £4. Stimulated by the activity of the elections in the Kelvin Ward, the Comrades are working harder than ever to get Socialist message over to the workers.

Comrades McCarthy and R. Mitchell went to Belfast to assist the World Socialist Party of Ireland in the recent election campaign. Fourteen members attended and supported a meeting in Blitz Square on Sunday, May 27th. Some comrades travelled from Armagh. Two sympathisers assisted the Party members and the audience at one time numbered 100. Literature was sold and a collection taken. In addition a door-to-door distribution of leaflets was made; a tour of the constituency with a public address system, stopping on the way at various housing estates to hold meetings. Leaflets were stuck on all suitable spaces—as one comrade said: "The public must have thought we were paper-hangers gone mad but to us it looked good".

The result was that the W.S.P. of Ireland polled 62 votes. Press statements had been given and three papers reported them in full. Our comrades Mitchell and McCarthy were most impressed by the well-organised hard work put in by the Irish members and commented on the pleasure it was to be of some help to them.

Coventry Group are still going strong and have moved to better premises which they feel sure will be advantageous. The Group has written to Party members in nearby Rugby and Leamington Spa with news of the Group’s activities and it is hoped that they will be able to join in and before long form the nucleus of a Coventry Branch. The Group is also contacting Birmingham Branch with a view to pooling their resources for propaganda generally.

A comrade writes from Wellington, New Zealand that several sympathisers are scanning local newspapers for reviews of the January Socialist Standard which contained articles on the Common Market as copies were circulated to the press. The main point of interest at the moment is the tape recorded lectures which members are able to pass around and so interest many more people than if they had to travel long journeys for discussions. Wherever possible members attend meetings of various organisations in order to meet people and discuss the Party case by way of questions and talks after meetings.

Swansea Branch recently had a debate with the local Liberals. 6 /- worth of literature was sold. Forty people attended and many showed great interest in the Party's point of view. A member met the prospective Liberal candidate recently and he agreed that Socialism would come eventually and that the Socialist Standard was the finest political journal on the market. It is likely that another debate will ensue before very long. In general the Socialist Party is becoming well known in the district. Maybe it won't be all that long time before another branch functions in Swansea?

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Last but not least. An appeal in last month’s issue for donations to help our propaganda work has resulted in some donations from London. Let more follow. Two comrades from Australia sent £10 to help the cause. This example will be encouraging to all those who wish to bring Socialism nearer.

Phyllis Howard