Minutes 06/04/11

By bill, 7 April, 2011

Present: K, Ste, V, Joa, A, T, I, Ste(?), G, J, L, Si

Personal Reports:

V - attended Peoples' Assembly. A conf. of Trade and Student Unions. Around 75 people. Overwhelming majority expressed sympathy/support for the Black Bloc of March 26th. Was highlighted that the NHS workforce is becoming increasingly radicalised, and we should direct our energies there.

No other Personal Reports

'Business cards'

We will wait until the national logo and NLSF finances are sorted before printing our business cards. K to bring this up again when both issues are resolved. K to check prices.

Interacting with new members

Agreed that we will meet new contacts at a place and time they are happy with to discuss our politics/have a chat/try and suss whether they are a journalist. Prospective new members must attend 3 meetings before being allowed to officially join and be put on the e-list/forum etc. We must vote on accepting a new member.
Ste has been officially voted through. Congratulations! I to get Ste on the e-list and the forum.
If a prospective new member lives or works near a current member, then they should do their best to keep in contact.
T to ask J for advice on spotting journos.
A suggestion we hold more public forums for interested people to attend.

AF anti-cuts talk

SF idea of economic blockades was raised and opinions on it asked, but apart from few expressions of sympathy, no one else discussed this much.
Aparently there was a journo from the Times there that wrote up a piece. Security issues again.

Anarchism talk at QMUL

We have been asked to give a talk on anarchism at Queen Mary. K and A to sort this out and give the talk.
A will talk on practical anarcho-syndicalist aspect, K will talk on theoretical anarchist-communist aspect. Keep the talk short, then open it to discussion. Will need chairing and hard line against potential disruptive Trots.
The discussion should be recorded (audio). Ste has equipment.

Strikers Handbook

Training April 10th

At LARC
V asking on how you deal with rival trainers (trade union reformists, counter-revolutionary trots etc) in the workplace and student campus. General feeling that this was a common situation some of our members faced. Further discussion needed.

May Day social

With the AF. Potentially May 1st in the evening. J to book freedom and then invite AF.
Anarchist karoke? I and Joa are loving it.

Nat. Conf.

L report back from SUF conf.

Seemed a loose grouping of tendencies, Class War-espue, primarily going on demos, activisty.
Stockholm local seemed more syndicalist, more in common with us. Maintain communication with them.
Met Anarchismo people from Norway. Didn't like SF. Said it is wrong to be critical of L&S. Numpties.
SUF were also discussion why there was not more women in the organising. Seperated feminsim and class-struggle as two seperate things.
Overall, not sure how helpful it was to SF, but a nice holiday :) We should keep in touch with Stockholm branch. SUF were happy we came. SUF Internataional Sec (edit this if ive got it wrong) wants to observe SF nat. conf. SUF have already been invited. L to talk to T(Manc) about inviting this specific person.
L to do a short write up for the website.
J added that groups in Sweeden are impressed with the open letter to UK Uncut, and SF generally.

Marta's proposal for next gender imbalance discussion

AWL update

AWL reply was snappy. J is writing a response to their article.
Ste has the necessary materials to potentially organise our own labour law training. S suggests Ste come to a potential AWL training and adapte his own from theirs and using his own material.
After J article response is sent, then we will ask for the training again.

Localising the struggle

Joa + J met up and discussed focussing on one area.
Si re-iterated what was agreed on at last meeting. After nat conf., meetings are held in both East and West london alongside North London wide meetings.
J says we need a local distro, pick on stratford, leytonstone, and one other area. Hammer away at this areas again and again.
Agreed to return to this after national conference.

London IWW

J stresses the need to be more sociable with these guys, usually in the pub after meetings.

Formal meetings

Agreed that our meetings have grown in size and we need more formal chairing. Hands up if you want to speak, don't interupt others etc
A offers to do chairing workshop. Will liase with T on this.

Office Angels picket

Escalation. More pickets.
Doodle (you chose what days you are free) link is on forum. There is also a discussion space on the forum for this dispute.

Olympics workplace picket