25 people, representing 10 out of 12 existing branches attended the Eastern Regional Socialist Alliance meeting . After an, introduction from. Nick Wrack, the National Chair of the Socialist Alliance, the meeting moved on to take feed-back on the state of the branches and on local activities.
Three areas were identified as needing further work:
Branch structures including monthly meetings, functioning committees need tightening up
Branch finances are often chaotic. Some have no bank accounts, many no real source of income. This is particularly serious given the cost of any Euro election campaign.
Formal membership is well below the level of support branches receive. This is good news in some ways but we need a drive to recruit those who support us but have not actually filled in a form.
We agreed action to bring the branches up to scratch and that we'd set up an information network to bring the region together. Then we had a general discussion on the possibility of standing in the Euro elections.
Many different positions were expressed, from 'we must stand to 'perhaps we could"
'absolutely not. An argument can be made for all these shades of opinion. It was clear that to stand it would require concerted effort, and was not to be taken on lightly. The majority felt that we were not in a position to say yes at the current time.
Therefore, it was decided to call a further meeting on October 12th in Cambridge to reassess the state of the branches, make a definite decision about the Euro Elections and to form a working committee to organize the region.
Speaking to people afterwards, it was clear we had made the right decision and that people felt it had been an extremely useful day. I'd hoped for more to come out of the meeting but perhaps this was unrealistic.
The very fact that people felt positive about the meeting proved its worth. The region is much better placed to make a democratic, informed decision in October.
The decision to stand in the Euro elections is of vital importance for the future.
thought. work. should - for three simple reasons. Standing in the Euro elections should strengthen our detract from it. national and international efforts to build a socialist challenge, furthering the vital project that the Alliance was formed for - bringing the left together in action. any of these things, which is why I hope the Alliance in the region will be ready for the challenge