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

Bromley and Woodside Election Campaigns (1964)

Party News from the October 1964 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings (1964)

Party News from the July 1964 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Meetings. (1963)

Party News from the June 1963 issue of the Socialist Standard

Branch News (1963)

Party News from the April 1963 issue of the Socialist Standard

The Annual Conference of the Party takes place in London, at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 12th. 13th and 14th. Fuller details are shown elsewhere in this issue Following Conference, in London on April 18th (Thursday), Paddington Branch are holding a meeting at Hampstead Town Hall. Haverstock Hill, N.W.3 at 7.30 p.m. The title “After Aldermaston. What?" It is many years since the Party has held a meeting in Hampstead and much work is being done to ensure the success of this meeting.

Lewisham Branch is holding a public meeting at Bromley High Street Public Library, East Street, Bromley on Friday. April 26th at 8 p.m. Title, "The Socialist Party of Great Britain and the H-Bomb”. Speaker: P Lawrence. This meeting is being organised by the Branch and the Bromley Group members.

On no account miss getting a copy of the May Socialist Standard. A larger Standard for the occasion, featuring the Housing Problem. The price will not be increased, therefore, it behoves all members to sell as many copies as possible, not only to meet the additional cost, but most important, to give a good boost to propaganda at the commencement of the outdoor propaganda season. If every regular reader at least doubled their order, it will be a help. If branches, at their meetings prominently show and advertise the May issue and urge more members to rally round with sales, it could be that a record number of copies are sold. Let’s go to it and break all records!

The three-branch (Bloomsbury, Ealing and Paddington) joint propaganda venture has proved most successful, and as previously mentioned other branches might well try out this idea. The January meeting held at Paddington was a lecture on the Common Market, at Ealing, on March 1st a “Brains Trust" meeting was held at the Branch meeting room. Questions were written before the meeting and a panel of three members answered the questions. There was good discussion the one regret was that time was so short. The occasion was very successful. Bloomsbury are holding their meeting in May. Owing to Conference it was considered better to leave the meeting for a month. On May 13th (Monday) the small Conway Hall has been reserved and a meeting similar to the one held at Ealing is proposed. As the hall holds many more people than the two previous halls, it is hoped that Comrades will bring along as many friends as possible. Light refreshments will be available.

Soon we hope to give full details of the adventures of our comrade Joe McGuinness who has been working on a boat, travelling around the world, and Joe, being the man he is, has "cashed in” at many ports of call where Party members were. Canada. U S.A.. Australia and New Zealand. He has done a recording for a non commercial broadcasting station in Canada. This being only one of his many activities in spreading the case for Socialism.

Ealing Branch’s season of lectures, films, and discussions continued during March with an inter-branch "Brains Trust” and a film “World Without End ”. The brains trust was particularly successful. Three members, one from each branch (Bloomsbury, Paddington and Ealing) answered questions put to them at random, and after each question the meeting was thrown open to further questions to the speakers and to contributions from the audience itself. Altogether, it was agreed that the experiment had resulted in a most useful and enjoyable evening, and is the kind of thing that could be profitably extended to other areas where Party branches are grouped reasonably closely together. We understand, in fact, that other branches have it already in mind to arrange similar events in their own areas.

Phyllis Howard

News from the Branches (1962)

Party News from the August 1962 issue of the Socialist Standard

Good news from Glasgow Branch which is going strong propounding Socialism to workers in Scotland. Eleven outdoor meetings were held in June, three of them in Edinburgh. Audiences averaged 100 and literature sales totaled £5. A collection of £3 was taken at an indoor meeting and £5 at the outdoor ones. Average attendances of members was nine.

Swansea Branch held a successful debate with the Liberal Party represented by R. Gool. The SPGB representative our comrade Harris gave a critical survey of the history of the Liberals demonstrating how their reformist policy was of no value to the working-class, and that there was no alternative to Socialism if workers wanted a better way of life. The Liberal attacked the idea of the "class-war" and belittled the Party because it was small and therefore ineffective. He argued that the Liberals were concerned with "day-to-day" issues and gave a list of reforms which he claimed would solve all the problems of the British. Good questions were put from an attentive audience who were clearly sympathetic to the Socialist case. Literature sales, 16s. and a promise was made by a member of the audience to donate her late father's books by Marx and Engels. More indoor meetings are planned especially in view of the interest shown at this debate.

Coventry Group have linked up with Birmingham Branch to conduct propaganda meetings in the Midlands, the first of which was held in June. This lasted for two hours with an audience never below 100 and at times 200. Other meetings will be held in Coventry and surrounding towns. SS subscribers have been notified of future meetings. The local library ban on the SS has been lifted as from June.

The newly formed Bromley Group is already very active busily canvassing the constituency with introductory leaflets and following up with sales of the SS and are finding the method very successful. Comrade May addressed a meeting at the local library. Advertising was made by handbills and posters. (Poor positions were chosen by the bill-posters so members quickly placed more in prominent positions). A van literally covered with posters for the meeting was placed in a busy shopping area on a Saturday. The same was intended on the Monday but was met by a police reception committee. A challenging letter in the local press failed to evoke any response from the Colossi to whom it referred. A contingent of CND supporters attended the meeting and were challenged to debate. Socialist Standard and pamphlets were sold and a collection of £2 taken and a report appeared in the local press. A lively and very promising start.

Bloomsbury Branch have sadly learned of the death of Nat Posner, who had been ill for some time. A member for over twenty years, he had known and supported the Party a long time and had interested workers in Socialism for more than forty years. Some of these joined the Party thirty years ago becoming very active in propaganda work. Originally working as a group at their place of work they sold thousands of Socialist Standards and pamphlets and took regular weekly collections for the Party from sympathizers over a period of years. Thus, our comrade Posner by quietly and patiently convincing others, set off a chain of socialist activity. He was a frequent chairman at outdoor meetings especially at Hyde Park; a consistent and staunch member, he will be missed.

P. H.