SA Office bulletin
Thursday 27 June
Mini-bulletin
This is a mini-bulletin with a fuller bulletin following on Monday. We’ve been unable to do more for the moment because David Wilson has been at the Communications Workers Union (CWU) conference, where Liz Davies has been involved in a debate on the political fund at a fringe meeting, and I’ve been in Spain at a conference of the anti-capitalist left in Madrid and at general strike and anti-capitalist protests against the EU summit in Seville. There will be reports on these events in the next bulletin. I have also attached to this bulletin a contribution from Martin Thomas to the perspectives discussion launched last week with a paper from Liz Davies.
Conference on Europe
Motions for the national conference on Europe have begun to come in. You will find two motions in the attached file. The principal differences that seem to be emerging are between those who support a position of abstention in the referendum and those who would support a ‘no’ vote. These are the two positions expressed in the attached motions. The National Executive urges local Socialist Alliances to make arrangements to debate this issue and to ensure that both sides of the debate are represented. If you wish to get help with speakers in the debate, please contact the national office on 020 7609 2999.
Date and venue details have now been confirmed for the national conference on Europe. The date is Saturday 12th October. The venue is the South Camden Community School, Charrington Street, London NW1, nearest tube Euston. The Conference Arrangements Committee had confirmed the following details for the conference.
Registration on the day will open at 10am. The conference will start promptly at 11am with the first session debating the Socialist Alliance's position on the Euro until 1.30pm. We will be inviting a number of guest speakers. The cost of the conference will be £10 waged and £6 unwaged. Leaflets for the conference with a booking form will be available in the next couple of weeks. There will be a creche but in order to plan creche provision we have a closing date for the creche of 28th September, two weeks before the conference. Again more details will be out shortly including an email address for creche bookings.
The closing date for motions for conference passed by branches or moved by individual members is 31st August. They must be submitted by email to the office at office@socialistalliance.net and will then be circulated on the information list and posted on the website. Motions will preferably be no longer than one side of A4 in ten point but definitely no longer than two sides of A4. Following close of motions there will be a compositing process and then the further opportunity for local Socialist Alliances to debate amendments.
Trade union activists' meeting
The Trade Union Organising Committee has called an activists' meeting for Saturday 29th June at the South Camden Community School, Charrington Street, London NW1, nearest tube Euston, entrance £5. The purpose of the meeting is to review our interventions and progress at the union conferences that have been taking place over the last few weeks, to plan how to counter the right wing offensive, and to plan strategy for the next year. A document for discussion at the conference was sent out yesterday.
The European Social Forum and the New Imperialism, New Internationalism conference
The National Executive wants to make building for the ESF in Florence from the 7th to the 10th November a national priority. A leaflet about the ESF will be coming out shortly together with a dedicated web page. In particular we want to build strongly in the colleges now and when they come back in September and amongst trade unionists. We intend to follow this up with a major open conference on the subject of ‘new imperialism, new internationalism’. Date and venue tba but will probably be Saturday 30th November or Saturday 7th December.
Dates for the diary
(if you can help leaflet at any of these events, please contact the national office)
29 June: SA trade union activists' meeting, entrance £5, 12noon to 4pm, South Camden Community School, Charrington Street, London, nearest tube Euston.
5 July: Pride festival and demo, London. We are hoping to have leaflets and a stall at Pride this year. If you can help please contact the office immediately.
5 July to 12 July: Marxism 2002, central London. This will be a gathering of thousands of socialists, most of whom support the Socialist Alliance. The Socialist Alliance will be having a stall at Marxism and particularly over the weekend we need Socialist Alliance members to go round systematically signing up for membership those who are not members already. This is an opportunity to increase our membership enormously. Please contact the national office if you can help.
13 July: National Executive meeting, London
20 July: Respect Festival in Victoria Park, East London. At least 60,000 people are expected at this important festival. The Socialist Alliance will be having a stall and leafleting the festival extensively. Please let the national office know if you can help.
7 Sept: SA National Council, one delegate per affiliated local SA, 11am, Birmingham, venue tba.
28 Sept: National Stop the War demo, London
September/October: SA national conference open to all members on Europe, exact date, venue and other detail tba.
12 October: SA national conference on Europe, open to all members. South Camden Community School, Charrington Street, London NW1, nearest tube Euston. Registration opens 10am, conference begins 11am sharp. Price is £10 waged, £6 unwaged.
7/10 November: European Social Forum, Florence.
30 November/7 December: New Imperialism, New Internationalism conference
Rob Hoveman, National Secretary
previous bulletins
Perspectives for the next two years - 17 June 2002
Taking the long view - 12 June 2002
Capitalising on our election success - 6 June 2002
local bulletins
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Contact the SA office by phone on 020 7609 2999 or by email
