Birmimgham STWC agm PART TWO
Duncan Callas | 18.12.2002 15:16
Part Two..
By now the atomsphere was turning ugly as stooge after stooge got up to denouce the ammendment, which let us remember was only calling for the delegates to meet every 2 instead of 6 months.
James Cunningham then rose to speak and was subject to disgusting behaviour. As soon as he started to speak disgraced sacked now ex-SWP fulltimer Ger Francis was making comments. James was subject to cat-calls, sneers, abuse and people from the floor trying to
drown him out..contrast this to the silence to which the Coalition speakers rightly had when they spoke. I was standing at the back and had to turn several times to a Socialist Action person and demand that they shut up so I could hear James. At several stages people shouted
"let him speak!".
Particular 'honours' must go to Salma Yaqoob who continuedly from the platform heckled James and whilst the Coalition's Vice-Chair, Socialist Action's Doug Jewel did ask for order a few times he was seemingly hestitant to interrupt Salma as she poured out aggressive abuse
towards James.
Things got even worse as those of us who disagreed with the SWP/Salma/Socialist Action concept of democracy were insinuated as, wait you guessed it, 'Islamophobic'! One of Salma's stooges from the paltform waved a piece of paper in the air (what it said we couldn't see and no explaination was offered) saying " MAB did so much work (might be true but then neither the Coalition motion, Bernie's ammendment nor James' speech referred to MAB=Muslim Association of Britain, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood)..i didn't sleep for 6 weeks before
the September demo..what have you people ever done..then on the coach you hand this filth
out attacking the muslims.attacking the muslims again"
The more SWP/SA and i presume MAB people got up to denounce 'them' as doing nothing..hmm wonder who organised the 2000+ demo in support of Palestine in April..but hey
lets not get the facts get in the way of anything! When one of the people i was with shouted her outrage at what i would call the 'democracyophobic' lynch mob mentality of Salma, the SWP and Socialist Action there was an outbreak of pseduo-laughter.
The ammendent failed, the motion passed and the Salma. Socialist Action and SWP lash up on the Birmingham Coalition committee was voted in again. Full credit to James for getting through his points against a hostile vicious little bunch and the heckling from the media savvy
Salma (i heard its on video tape too...any offers?)
My personal view is that the Birmingham Coalition with the troika of Salma, Socialist Action's Doug Jewel and disgraced sacked now ex-SWP full timer Ger Francis is dead as far as building a lively antiwar movement in Birmingham is concerned..sure they can pack an agm once a year but then we could too if we wanted but by counterposing democracy to activism they have become the Coalitions own grave diggers.
By now the atomsphere was turning ugly as stooge after stooge got up to denouce the ammendment, which let us remember was only calling for the delegates to meet every 2 instead of 6 months.
James Cunningham then rose to speak and was subject to disgusting behaviour. As soon as he started to speak disgraced sacked now ex-SWP fulltimer Ger Francis was making comments. James was subject to cat-calls, sneers, abuse and people from the floor trying to
drown him out..contrast this to the silence to which the Coalition speakers rightly had when they spoke. I was standing at the back and had to turn several times to a Socialist Action person and demand that they shut up so I could hear James. At several stages people shouted
"let him speak!".
Particular 'honours' must go to Salma Yaqoob who continuedly from the platform heckled James and whilst the Coalition's Vice-Chair, Socialist Action's Doug Jewel did ask for order a few times he was seemingly hestitant to interrupt Salma as she poured out aggressive abuse
towards James.
Things got even worse as those of us who disagreed with the SWP/Salma/Socialist Action concept of democracy were insinuated as, wait you guessed it, 'Islamophobic'! One of Salma's stooges from the paltform waved a piece of paper in the air (what it said we couldn't see and no explaination was offered) saying " MAB did so much work (might be true but then neither the Coalition motion, Bernie's ammendment nor James' speech referred to MAB=Muslim Association of Britain, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood)..i didn't sleep for 6 weeks before
the September demo..what have you people ever done..then on the coach you hand this filth
out attacking the muslims.attacking the muslims again"
The more SWP/SA and i presume MAB people got up to denounce 'them' as doing nothing..hmm wonder who organised the 2000+ demo in support of Palestine in April..but hey
lets not get the facts get in the way of anything! When one of the people i was with shouted her outrage at what i would call the 'democracyophobic' lynch mob mentality of Salma, the SWP and Socialist Action there was an outbreak of pseduo-laughter.
The ammendent failed, the motion passed and the Salma. Socialist Action and SWP lash up on the Birmingham Coalition committee was voted in again. Full credit to James for getting through his points against a hostile vicious little bunch and the heckling from the media savvy
Salma (i heard its on video tape too...any offers?)
My personal view is that the Birmingham Coalition with the troika of Salma, Socialist Action's Doug Jewel and disgraced sacked now ex-SWP full timer Ger Francis is dead as far as building a lively antiwar movement in Birmingham is concerned..sure they can pack an agm once a year but then we could too if we wanted but by counterposing democracy to activism they have become the Coalitions own grave diggers.
Duncan Callas
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
Clarification
18.12.2002 16:40
I think accuracy is important and so would like to point out an error in your report on the Coalition AGM.
Delegate forums will meet every two weeks, not every 6 months according to the original motion. It was the open general meetings that will meet at least every six months.
Bernie's ammendment was to propose bi-monthly general meetings as well as keeping the two weekly delegate forums.
I supported Bernie's ammendment as it's clearly ridiculous as well as undemocratic not to have at least bi-monthly general meetings which are open to all.
But we should be accurate in our reporting of these meetings.
K
Agggghhhh not this crap again
18.12.2002 18:18
Members of Mab I have met are not either homophobic or trying to build an Islamic state just as Catholics I have met are not anti-protestant or anti-contraception. Its a broad Islamic world. I'll say it again, its a coalition.
When its in bits and the Middle East is aflame, we can all pat ourselves on the back and say, "hey at least we didn't work with them there Muslims".
heather
Arrgh not SWP heather again
19.12.2002 09:49
Hmm strange how Heather feels she has to emphatically deny that MAB are homophobic whereas the article makes no such claim...why was that Heather? Freudian slip? Perhaps your stooges in MAB would be interested in knowing how the SWP regarded the Muslim Kosovars in during the campiagn against the bombing of Serbia..I can certainly post pictures of your then Islamophobic fascist Chetnik Christian buddies on SWP platforms, on the SWP demos..any Muslim who thinks the SWP gives a damn about you should ask the Muslim Kosovar who was physically assaulted in London in 1999 at one such SWP/Chetnik Christian love in/public meeting..
Thanks for reminding me what rank opportunists you are Heather!
nice one
Jom Piddymulch
huh?
19.12.2002 10:46
-
Eh?
19.12.2002 14:43
Mind you, To be fair to her, she's not the only person who replies to comments that haven't actually been made. There were all sorts of people at that meeting opposing bi-monthly meetings by making speeches like (I paraphrase) "we need to work together", "we got 100 coaches to the September 28th demo", etc, etc. All true, yet all irrelevant to the question at hand.
Is this a technique they're teaching at SWP oratory classes these days? I think we should be told.
Joss
Joss
Any suggestions?
19.12.2002 15:07
I'm not thinking of any person in particular.
Alfred Marks