[Individual-members-EL] FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual members
Stephen Spence
stephen_spence at btinternet.com
Sat Mar 10 13:15:39 CET 2012
Dear Waltraud,
I welcome very much your contact on this matter and I appreciate your
willingness to engage so when I make some statements which are very direct
it is not my intention to offend you. It is simply that the time for plain
speaking is here. I’m copying this to the individual members list, Maite,
and two key individuals who in the past have worked with me on the EL in the
UK because this is a collective conversation, and I would want others to
make their comments to you also.
Firstly I understand the difficulty of achieving consensus amongst the
parties of the Executive Board (EB). Individual members have patiently
discussed this over many years, including at the Prague Congress with Helmut
Scholz when we agreed not run a candidate for election to the EB to force
the matter, in exchange for resolution in the longer term. We feel very let
down by the lack of action since then. I know Helmut has been supportive,
but it is my opinion some Parties which do not want individual member
representation believe they can permanently delay this. They need to know
there are now individual members discussing taking the EL to the European
Courts if this can not be resolved, the EL cannot legally accept individual
members, take membership subscriptions and refuse to provide a
representative structure.
Since 2004, after I had spoken to Helmut Ettinger in Berlin at my own
initiative and expense, I returned to the UK and gathered many supporters
for the EL. Over the next few years I did this not once but twice. It was
like rolling a snowball down a hill. It became bigger and bigger. Martin
Herberg (who would give me information) advised who had actually joined and
I followed up. I organised comrades to put together an EL UK website, again
not once but twice. To get momentum, as people were interested in how the
EL could develop left politics in this country, we asked for a UK ‘European
Left Network’ to be given observer status under the Statute. Not once but
twice, nothing happened. Building something has several stages. Twice with
the EL we got past the early stage of development and waited for the Party
to give ‘official’ status to be able to develop to the next stage. The
first time, when the ‘observer’ status did not come things fell apart. We
built it up again, a second time the Party did not act, and the same thing
happened, it fell apart. We now only have a small number of UK individual
members across the country. EL is irrelevant to UK politics.
I am a trade union organiser. I work for a Union which is non-party
political and I have a public face for that Union, so I have had to do my
Left work as a personal project hoping the observer status as a Network
would have given us the opportunity to ‘officially’ launch EL more broadly
and even run in elections. Again I have done this kind of thing before in
Australia as a backroom operator,getting public faces elected to a local
council and running a City.
Why without observer status, not once but twice, did everything started
fading away? Because most people, especially those who can be the public
face, will not come forward if you have no ‘official’ status. I feel
enormously let down by the EL. We wanted observer status for the ‘European
Left Network’ in the UK which the EB could have easily passed. They did it
for Italy but not us. Why? I think because the Italian Party wanted it and
the EB only listens to parties.
Largely at my own expense but latterly with some support of the party I have
attended Trade Union Networks, Summer Schools, the Founding, 2nd and 3rd
Congresses to promote individual membership. Each time I have had to wear
a badge marked ‘guest’, I was not allowed to speak in Rome, I fought for the
right to do so in Prague, and eventually I was allowed to again in Paris,
but each time after an argument. When I knew the PCF were a problem, I went
to Paris, again at my own expense and met with Jean Francois Gau. He has no
support for individual members, but said he didn’t mind about the UK. But
again nothing happened.
As I have pointed out within EL forums the number of times nothing has
happened in relation to individual membership the reaction has become more
and more dismissive and if I get a response at all it leaves me with the
feeling I am some kind of unreasonable fanatic. The Party talks about being
open and being a networking party, but in the case of individual membership
I have found it to be closed and not sincere.
The only reason I have kept going when as Maite pointed out I am ‘free and
can elect’ to do something else is because I have met some excellent people
amongst the individual members, amongst the trade union network and even
amongst party members. I support the programme and policies of the EL and I
want to be able to advance EL ideas in my personal time outside my paid
trade union work. Why does the Party make this almost impossible when it
says it wants to facilitate such activity? Does it really want to develop
and grow or is that simply lip service to an ideal and in reality it is a
limited Party of parties? If that is the truth then the EB should simply
state that and then I can stop wasting my time.
One positive thing the Party has done is to set up the individual member
email forum. We can talk to each other but to be honest we talk rarely
because there’s nothing to talk about as we have no way of developing work
inside the EL because there is no official structure.
The conclusion I and others have drawn is now that we want ‘official’ status
within the Party for a European wide individual member network, Branch,
Section, Friendship circle, we don’t care what it is called. We want the
Party to make available, as it does with the ELfem and the trade union
network, a budget for perhaps two meetings a year to enable us to come
together to talk about how we can develop individual members. We would like
delegate to Congress so we are not ‘guests’ anymore, and a seat on the EB.
Thank you for listening. I hope finally something can be done.
Best
Stephen
_____
From: Waltraud Fritz-Klackl [mailto:wfritz at chello.at]
Sent: 05 March 2012 11:05
To: 'Stephen Spence'
Subject: AW: Re: FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual
members
Dear Stephen,
Thank you for getting already in contact with me. Maite had asked me to
“help” in the communication about the problems regarding individual
membership in the EL. I trust you are wll aware (as a long time member) that
this question has been existing since the very existence of the EL – and
still going on of course. I am in the secretariat of the EL “responsible2
for the liaison with the statute commission (the coordinator is Jiri
Hudiceck) from the SDS.
I think, the first thing we have to do together is to take stock. What is
the current situation – statutewise and where can we start to act on the
basis of the existing regulations. I think if we look carefully at them,
there is still space for the individual members to have more say in the
politics of the EL. You will know it anyway, but just to bring the fact to
your attendance again. Any changes – statutes or programme – of the EL can
only be achieved via unanimous decisions, which is very hard.
In this context, can you please send me any information regarding the
situation of individual members in the UK? Is there a “friendship circle”
exisiting? A mailing list? Any other form of communication?
And of course what are your own ideas about the situation?
Looking forward to hearing from you soon
Best regards
Waltraud
Von: Stephen Spence [mailto:stephen_spence at btinternet.com]
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 01. März 2012 21:04
An: 'Maite Mola'
Cc: 'Indiv. Members EL'; 'Giorgos Karatsioubanis'; 'Waltraud Fritz-Klackl'
Betreff: RE: Re: FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual
members
Dear Maite Mola,
Happy to tell Waltraud anything she’d like to know. I met her in Portugal
some years ago at a Summer School.
I can share the same points I’ve made so far to you, Helmut Scholz, Jean
Francois Gau, Martin Herberg, Giorgos Karatsiobanis, and many others at
different times over eight years and see if something finally happens, but I
think if nothing changes in April, that will be enough for me.
Best
Stephen
_____
From: maitemola at gmail.com [mailto:maitemola at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Maite
Mola
Sent: 01 March 2012 19:32
To: Stephen Spence
Cc: Indiv. Members EL; Giorgos Karatsioubanis; Waltraud Fritz-Klackl
Subject: Re: Re: FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual
members
Dear Stephen,
Please, can you communicate with Waltraud Fritz-Klacl? She is the member of
the EL Secretariat charged of the Statutes Commission, it's better that you
communicate directly with her.
You have in CC her mail.
Regards,
Maite Mola
2012/3/1 Stephen Spence <stephen_spence at btinternet.com>
Dear Maite Mola,
Yes, and if the Parties had taken this seriously before, individual members
would be able to help you now, many of us with years of experience as
organisers, to assist to defend working people through the EL, now the
crisis has hit.
Instead, through inaction, we sit outside the EL structure, mere observors
and impotent, as you are left to do the work without an additional group of
allies you could have made use of, who have been asking for years, not for
some kind of prize, but to be allowed into the structures to help.
In the absence of an EL structure we work through other organisations, trade
unions, social movements, etc. but can’t work through the EL because the EL
won’t let us in any meaningful way.
The crisis you mention is exactly why the EL now needs to take urgent steps,
to make up for the inaction of the past so as we can participate in the
defence of working people, which is what the EL is for.
I appreciate your understanding of this matter.
Best
Stephen
_____
From: Maite Mola [mailto:maitemola at gmail.com]
Sent: 29 February 2012 20:02
To: Stephen Spence
Subject: RE: Re: FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual
members
Dear Stephen,
Yes, I understand it is important the individual members, but the, crisis,
austeriry, authotitarism, migrants,...the people and his situation it's our
principal problem in the agenda, regards
Maite Mola
El 29/02/2012 20:55, "Stephen Spence" <stephen_spence at btinternet.com>
escribió:
Dear Maite Mola,
Thank you for advising me that the issue of individual members is now going
to the Statues Commission.
It is disappointing that we were to get an answer in January, then February
and now April, nevertheless I am grateful for your response.
Best
Stephen
_____
From: Maite Mola [mailto:maitemola at gmail.com]
Sent: 29 February 2012 08:54
To: Stephen Spence
Subject: Fwd: Re: FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual
members
Dear Stephen, I send you my answer to Norbert, of the 20 of February.
Regards
Maite Mola
---------- Mensaje reenviado ----------
De: "Maite Mola" <maitemola at gmail.com>
Fecha: 22/02/2012 21:44
Asunto: Re: FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual members
Para: "Norbert Hagemann" <norberthagemann at web.de>
Cc: "Indiv. Members EL" <individual-members-el at listi.jpberlin.de>,
<giorgos.karatsioubanis at european-left.org>
Dear Norbert
The 20 of April the Statutes commission of the EL will meet in Madrid, to
speak about this matter. The president of this commission is Jiri Hudecek.
Regards
Maite
El 22/02/2012 20:03, "Norbert Hagemann" <norberthagemann at web.de> escribió:
Dear Maite Mola,
could you please be so kind and inform us about the debate on us as
individual Members in secretariat meeting you mentioned in your mail.
We are very keen to push forward this issue to a positive solution within a
reasonable timeframe.
Kind regards
Norbert Hagemann
_____
Von: "Maite Mola" <maite.mola at european-left.org>
Gesendet: 31.01.2012 13:47:28
An: "Norbert Hagemann" <norberthagemann at web.de>
Betreff: Re: FW: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual members
Dear Norbert, dear all,
We have decided in the ex board of Berlin, to discuss about the situation of
the individual members in the EL in the secretariat of the 4 February.
I'll write you next week about it and inform you!
Regards,
Maite Mola
Vice-President
European Left Office
Rue Parnasse 30
B-1050 Bruxelles
Phone: +32.2.5022- 606 <tel:%2B32.2.5022-%20606>
Fax: +32.2.5020 <tel:%2B32.2.5020%20-173> -173
E-Mail: maite.mola at european-left.org
Web: http://www.european-left.org <http://www.european-left.org/>
2012/1/10 Maite Mola <maitemola at gmail.com>
Dear Norbert,
Ill send your letter tomorrow to the Secretariat of the EL, and I ll inform
you about our decision after our meeting in Berlin.
Regards,
Maite Mola
El 10/01/2012 21:17, "Norbert Hagemann" <norberthagemann at web.de> escribió:
Dear Maite Mola,
before the last EL EX-Board meeting in early October I sent a letter to
Pierre Laurant (using his PCF mail account) which was discussed between the
individual members using our mail list and at the end signed by eight of us
from different countries. The letter deals with the problem of our formal
rights within the EL, reflecting our situation and making proposals how to
deal with in the near future. As of today there is neither a reply nor a
confirmation of receipt and so we sent the same letter to Giorgios
Karatsioubanis within the EL office in Brussels asking him to distribute the
letter to all parties of the European Left and to discuss this issue on the
next meeting in Berlin.
We asked at the same time to include within the upcoming budget for the year
2012 an amount of money for a meeting which should be organized to discuss
between us the way out of this situation and to organize our work within the
EL.
Giorgios Karatsioubanis asked me to resent this letter to you as coordinator
of the EL Executive Board. I hope you will support our request indipendently
from the question would you be personaly in favour or not of the individual
membership.
Thank's for that.
Warm regards
Norbert Hagemann
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: "Giorgos Karatsioubanis" <giorgos.karatsioubanis at european-left.org>
Gesendet: 09-Jan-2012 17:39:09
An: "Norbert Hagemann" <norberthagemann at web.de>
Betreff: Re: letter to all EL parties regarding individual members
Dear Norbert,
I have received your letter, and after having a first discussion on it,
i would like to ask you to direct the email to Maite Mola, as
coordinator of the Executive Board of the EL. Her email is:
maitemola at gmail.com
Best regards,
Giorgos Karatsioubanis
ps. i have to inform you, after speaking with them, that the office of
Pierre Laurent did not receive any letter on this matter before the ExB
meeting in Paris. For future messages to Pierre Laurent, please send
them also to Anne Sabourin asabourin at pcf.fr
On Mon, 9 Jan 2012 17:18:13 +0100 (CET), Norbert Hagemann wrote:
> Dear Giorgios Karatsioubanis,
> could you please be so kind and confirm us that you got the letter.
> We would be interested to hear from you, if you would be so kind and
> forward the letter and the request as proposed by us.
>
> Thanks for your support. Please be so kind and keep us informed
> about
> your activities regarding this letter.
>
> Sincerely
>
> Norbert
>
>> -------------------------
>> VON: "Norbert Hagemann"
>> GESENDET: 25-Dec-2011 22:04:30
>> AN: giorgos.karatsioubanis at european-left.org
>> BETREFF: letter to all EL parties regarding individual members
>>
>> Dear Giorgios Karatsioubanis,
>> enclosed I send you a letter which was signed by eight individual
>> EL members from different countries. The letter deals with the
>> problem of the rights of individual members apart and was sent by us
>> to Pierre Laurant before the last EL EX-Board meeting in early
>> October. To date, neither a reply nor a confirmation of receipt is
>> received.
>>
>> Since you as "employee" of EL are also responsible for us, the
>> individual members, we want to ask you officially to give this
>> letter to all member and observer parties of the EL at the latest
>> till the next Board meeting in January in Berlin. We hope that this
>> letter will be formaly put on the agenda and discussed during this
>> meeting.
>>
>> At the same time we want to ask you, to communicate to all parties
>> our request, that in the upcoming budget of the EL for the year 2012
>> we would like to have introduced a reasonable amount of money for an
>> European meeting of individual members to be organized next year
>> with the aim to discuss and organize our work within the EL. The
>> existing working structures for cooperation of the trade unionists
>> or the EL-FEM-structures are well established examples how we would
>> like to go ahead in the future.
>>
>> Thanks for your support. Please be so kind and keep us informed
>> about your activities regarding this letter.
>>
>> Sincerely
>>
>> Norbert
--
Party of the European Left
EL Office, Giorgos Karatsioubanis
30 Rue Parnasse
1050 Bruxelles
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 5022606 <>
Fax: +32 2 5020173 <>
email: giorgos.karatsioubanis at european-left.org
http://www.european-left.org
--
Maite Mola
Vice-President
European Left Office
Rue Parnasse 30
B-1050 Bruxelles
Phone: +32.2.5022- 606 <tel:%2B32.2.5022-%20606>
Fax: +32.2.5020 <tel:%2B32.2.5020%20-173> -173
E-Mail: maite.mola at european-left.org
Web: http://www.european-left.org
--
Maite Mola
Vice-President
European Left Office
Rue Parnasse 30
B-1050 Bruxelles
Phone: +32.2.5022- 606
Fax: +32.2.5020 -173
E-Mail: maite.mola at european-left.org
Web: http://www.european-left.org
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