SPGB Meetings (1955)

Party News from the June 1955 issue of the Socialist Standard

SPGB Outdoor Meetings (1952)

Party News from the August 1952 issue of the Socialist Standard

Party News Briefs (1954)

Party News from the June 1954 issue of the Socialist Standard

The Fiftieth Anniversary Rally of the Party is being held on Sunday, 13th June, at St. Pancras Town Hall, Euston Road. London. Will members and friends make a note of the date and rally round and help to ensure a successful evening.

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Ealing Branch took the opportunity during May to organise a special all-out drive to sell the Socialist Standard. A rainy Sunday morning during the first week abruptly curtailed activities, but fine weather on the two following Sundays gave canvassers several hours of uninterrupted selling time. Sales by the middle of May, as we go to press, have already reached 21 dozen, and given fine weather for the remainder of the month the Branch is hopeful that the previous best monthly sale (32 dozen) will be exceeded.

A start is once more being made in selling the S.S. and pamphlets outside stations, and if first experiments at Hammersmith Broadway are successful, this type of activity will be extended and put on a regular and organised basis.

Finally, we are hoping that a good outdoor propaganda season at Ealing Green and Heron Court. Richmond, will also play a part in stepping-up sales and make it our most successful literature season so far.

Our experience has shown that the results from canvassing vary in strictly arithmetical ratio with the number of canvassers taking part. In other words, given twice the number of canvassers, we could step up sales to 50-60 dozen without any difficulty. It is most rewarding and productive work, and it is not beyond the capacity of any member of the Branch (and the Party for that matter) to devote one Sunday morning a month to it. The results are there for everyone to see. and the field has hardly been touched.

An appeal is made to every Branch member to contact the Literature Secretary, or any member of the Literature Committee, and find out how, when, and where he or she can help.

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May Day Sunday in London was marred by rain and cold. Party members did their best under the circumstances to sell literature along the route of the Trades Unions' procession to Hyde Park. Our meeting in the Park was dampened by the rain.

However, a good indoor meeting was held in the evening at Conway Hall.

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West Ham Branch members have renewed their canvassing drive and during April on one evening alone a hundred houses were called upon and twenty copies of the Socialist Standard were sold. The work has continued in May but figures of results are not yet available.

The Branch urges members to make every effort to assist in this work which is well worth while.

The canvassing party meets outside the “Boleyn” (corner of Green Street and Barking Road), East Ham, every Wednesday evening between 7.30 p.m. and 7.40 p.m.

Sunday evening outdoor meetings are held at this spot at 8 p.m. As the station is a new one, members should do all they can to support these meetings.

Friday evenings at 8 p.m. meetings are held at Station Road, Ilford.

Meanwhile Branch lectures will continue to be held on alternate Thursday evenings at Salisbury Road School, Manor Park Broadway. Details of meetings elsewhere in this issue.

A few tickets are available for the coach trip to Brighton which is being arranged by West Ham Branch. If members are interested please contact Branch Social Committee or telephone Ilford 2884. Date: Sunday, 27th June. A Propaganda Meeting will be held on the beach, in conjunction with Brighton Branch members.

Phyllis Howard

Obituary: Bill Robertson (2012)

Obituary from the May 2012 issue of the Socialist Standard

We are sorry to have to announce that comrade Bill Robertson died in Brighton in March at the age of 84. He first came across the Party through outdoor meetings in Hyde Park and originally joined in 1947. He trained as a wireless operator and in 1960 went to work for the British Forces Broadcasting Network in Singapore. He returned to Britain in 1981 and played an active role in the old Brighton branch but still retained an interest in the Far East. He visited contacts in Kerala and India and spoke at outdoor meetings (we have a recording of him speaking in English with his talk being translated into the local language). In 1984-5 he spent some time in Perth, in Western Australia, transferring to the World Socialist Party of Australia and helping to produce and write for their publication of the time Socialist Comment which enabled him to display his considerable knowledge of Marxian economics. Later he returned to Britain again and settled in his home town of Brighton.

We extend our sympathy to his wife and children.

Party News Briefs (1953)

Party News from the July 1953 issue of the Socialist Standard

Mitcham Discussion Group held its first meeting when Comrade Turner opened a discussion on Socialism. Considerable interest was taken by the audience of twenty people and the discussion continued for some time. It is hoped that a good attendance will be maintained when this group meets again. As a permanent meeting place has not been arranged, will members and sympathisers interested in this group please contact the Propaganda Committee at Head Office.

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A Party Sympathiser in Dublin who has frequently contributed to the Party Funds has again written us and sent Five Pounds as a donation to help on the work for Socialism. This is greatly appreciated.

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Donations to Parliamentary Fund. In response to an appeal in the May Socialist Standard the total received to June 16th was £69 14s. We regret that these figures were not available for the June Socialist Standard.

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Hackney Branch are organising a speakers’ and general knowledge class and discussion group at Bethnal Green Town Hall on alternate Thursdays from July 2nd at 8 p.m. It is hoped to encourage members to take the Party platform and for the class to run outdoor meetings later in the year. Any members and sympathisers who can come along will be very welcome.

*     *     *     *

Hackney Branch’s outing to Brighton on June 7th was fairly successful; being attended by 18 members and two children. A meeting was run on the sea front (Fishmarket) from 3 p.m. till 8.15 p.m. being supported by some 10 members of Brighton branch. It is hoped that a similar outing can be arranged in September.

Phyllis Howard

Obituary: Jack Holford (1975)

Obituary from the November 1975 issue of the Socialist Standard

Jack Holford died at the end of September, after being ill since last Christmas. Knowing he was dying, he wrote the following message:

“Here is my own obituary which, without any further comment I would like printed in the S.S.:— ‘In bidding farewell to all my Socialist Comrades I leave them my best wishes in their progress towards the elimination of this rotten system of Capitalism and the establishment of Socialism.—Comrade Holford, Brighton’.”

We will not let him get away with that. Jack was a fine type of Socialist, resembling in his independence and persistentness some of the early members of the Party. He had been a member for very many years and was one of the founders of the Brighton branch some years ago. When the branch ceased to exist he carried on and did much to keep members scattered along the south coast in contact with one another. He came to London regularly for Party Conferences and Delegate Meetings, where he always spoke with clarity and zest. During his last illness his interest in the Party never decreased. The news of his death has come as a sad blow to all of us, and our sympathy goes to Susan Holford.

Party News Briefs: Glasgow and Brighton (1952)

Party News from the January 1952 issue of the Socialist Standard

The Organiser of Kelvingrove Branch sent the following news of Branch propaganda activity for last month’s issue but it was just too late for the printer so it had to be held over until this month.

   “Since the middle of August, the Kelvingrove Branch has had a very successful series of outdoor meetings. Two members who previously had not shown any great ability as speakers, have, with a little change of technique, managed to hold outdoor meetings at which on only one occasion, has there been less than 100 of an audience and, on every other, the audience varied between 150 and 300. Collections and Literature sales have been good and a number of regular attenders are beginning to come around. But, best of all, the success we have had, has put new zest into the Branch as a whole. Our meetings started off with attendances of about 3 to 4 party members and quickly mounted until at the last two we could count 15 to 20 members.
   To those members who have tried speaking and then given up when they did not meet with immediate success; we hope our achievement will act as encouragement to have another go. It helps a great deal if one is big enough to accept constructive criticism from fellow members and, of course, if a deaf ear can be turned to members and relatives who deplore your lack of ability.
  During the election period, with the help of three "Glasgow City" comrades, we managed to push about 2,000 Election Manifestos through an equivalent number of doors. We would have liked to have done the whole Kelvingrove constituency, but to succeed in such a venture, we would have needed more members or the Manifestoes at our disposal on an earlier date.
   By holding meetings, attending opposition party meetings and canvassing from door to door almost 20 doz. S.S. were sold, this being the total amount of S.S. ordered by City and Kelvingrove.
  Taking stock of the past couple of months’ activity, we feel pleased, and look forward to next year’s propaganda season with renewed vigour and vitality—our recent success has acted like a tonic.”

Members of the Brighton Group made application to the Executive Committee for permission to form a Brighton Branch. Permission was granted and so another Group becomes an official Branch of the Party. For some years now, members in the Brighton area have been very active and they formed a Group which has worked well and consistently. Good outdoor propaganda meetings have been maintained throughout the year.

Phyllis Howard