The following resolution was agreed unanimously by the Respect National Council (NC) on Saturday July 3rd. It was moved by John Lister. Paragraph number 4 was not agreed, but will be discussed by a small sub-committee which will report back to the next meeting.
1. This NC notes the unique strength and diversity of the recent London membership meeting, and the potential attractive power of the campaign work, activists, electoral base and leading members in Tower Hamlets, Birmingham and Manchester. This offers an important opportunity to build the profile and recruit to Respect across the country.
2. In line with the welcome decision of the London membership meeting to seek to build branches across the capital, this NC calls upon the current and incoming EC to liaise with appropriate NC members and other activists to map out a determined campaign, beginning this autumn, to build Respect branches in a number of additional major cities in 2010-11, as the basis of a genuine national political party.
3. This campaign should key in to local, regional and national campaigns including those in defence of public services and welfare rights, Viva Palestina, Stop the War, the campaign for Jerry Hicks in Unite, and any other campaigns in which Respect can establish a prominent role.
4. To ensure that this helps contribute to the building of Respect and its profile, the campaign should make use of a Respect paper -- that should be re-launched from the conference, reaching out to as wide a section of members and supporters as possible, and involve input from the incoming EC and leading members -- alongside a revitalised website.
5. It should also involve building around contacts built up over recent years, seeking to bring them to the 2010 conference, and establish them as local activists, and should include public meetings addressed by leading and prominent Respect members.