Party News Briefs (1951)

Party News from the November 1951 issue of the Socialist Standard

The resumed Delegate Meeting was held at Holborn Hall on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, October 6th and 7th, when all outstanding items were dealt with. Delegates at one time numbered 34. representing 19 branches. Collections taken at the Delegate Meetings and Party meeting amounted to £30.

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A Party Meeting to discuss Electoral Activity was held on Sunday afternoon, October 7th, at Holborn Hall. Some 250 members were present, many taking part in discussion. It was agreed to endorse the arrangements already in hand to concentrate propaganda in Paddington North and East Ham South during the Election.

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At the time of going to Press an intensive propaganda drive is being held, particularly in Paddington and East Ham. There are 50,000 Election Manifestoes to be distributed and nearly twice our monthly quota of Socialist Standards are to be sold. Members have plenty of work on hand—and are getting on with it.

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A very successful indoor meeting was held at Southend-on-Sea on Monday evening, October 15th; a London speaker addressed the meeting. The hall was filled to capacity.

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Manchester Branch have had a successful summer outdoor season and are making plans to hold a series of indoor meetings during the winter.

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Indoor meetings throughout the winter are being held by Bloomsbury, Dartford, Hackney and S.W. London Branches apart from the Sunday evening meetings at Head Office. For details of all these meetings see notices on another page of this issue.

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Head Office Sunday evening meetings are well under way and members and sympathisers are cordially invited.

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Will all readers in Nottingham please note that a Discussion Group meets at the People’s Hall, Heathcote Street, Nottingham, at 7.45 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays in each month (i.e., November 7th and 21st). Members and sympathisers are welcome.

Quite a number of propaganda meetings have been held during the summer at Nottingham and there seems no doubt that these have greatly contributed to the formation of this Group as considerable interest in the Party case has been aroused in this area.

Fortnightly outdoor meetings are to be held at Slab Square, Nottingham, on Saturday evenings at 7.30 and Sundays 11.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m.

Phyllis Howard

Blogger's Note:

Some background information is required with regards to the aforementioned Special Party Meeting on Electoral Activity which was held on October 7th at Holborn Hall. 

The October 1951 issue of the Socialist Standard carried a short notice that a Party Poll had been held on the subject of the Party and Electoral Activity, and there was a majority vote against putting up SPGB candidates at the forthcoming 1951 General Election. The Special Party Meeting took place during the weekend of the Party's Autumn Delegate Meeting, and the subject of the meeting was what activity the Party could do around the forthcoming Election. It was decided that Party members in and around London would concentrate their propaganda efforts in Paddington in West London and East Ham in East London, which were two areas where the Party had put up candidates at the recent 1950 General Election. Two hundred and fifty members attending the Special Meeting was impressive, and should real intent.

The following links give some more background on the Party and the 1950 and 1951 General Elections:

• Nov 1949: From The Eastern Front
• Feb 1950: How will you use your vote?
• Mar 1950: Our Two Election Campaigns 
• Apr 1950: Party News Briefs (See paragraph headed "The Parliamentary Committee")
• May 1950: To the Electors of East Ham
• Oct 1951: Why We Are Not Contesting This Election