European Social Forum, Plenary Meeting, 14th December

Background: Delegates collected from all over the UK and Europe and speeches
were given in English, Spanish and French. The translators were kept busy
relaying speeches to delegates. The plan is to involve as many local,
regional and national groups in the planning and execution of the forum next
November. Meetings will be held all over Europe every 2 months and every
month in England (Wales, Scotland, Ireland?) during the next 11 months. I
think there's to be a UK Assembly Jan 24th and on March 6th-7th - check the
ESF page.
Please try to get your local group involved. Maybe you can offer a meeting
place for one/all of the groups in the coming months?
So far as contacting disparate groups goes, I see a future for Indymedia
there.
Themes that worried people were the perceived lack of transparency and a
perception of blairite democracy that proceeds behind closed doors, and a
concern about how all the meetings are to be financed. Suggested amounts
payable were between E700 and E100 for groups.

Meeting agenda: Reports from group discussions from groups formed on
Saturday
Process discussion
Social movement discussion
To join an email list and take part in planning for the UKESF, go to the ESF
website.
*meetings arranged have not necessarily been confirmed. Check the ESF
website.

Group reports Culture group
Not a subgroup but integral to the ESF so the group wants a venue that is
close to the others and especially close to the main venue.
Suggesting were made to have screenings, art, drama and information
workshops.
Community groups are to be contacted as well as schools, etc.
Spontaneous as well as planned events are to be encouraged.
*Next meeting arranged for Jan 17th.

Programme group
No final decisions were made because we need a more representative group.
We would like fewer plenaries, more seminars. Or rather seminars first and
then plenaries.
We need more analytical contributions and more youth and women speakers.
We must have a more open democracy within the ESF.
We must provide welcoming space for latecomers - it has occasionally been
the case that latecomers have felt lost and disenfranchised.
*Next meeting 10th Jan.

Practicalities group
Working group; logistics group; finance/legal group; communities group;
transport group.
Transparency was called for.
Inclusively must be addressed, for example childcare should be provided,
translations should be provided of all documents, and funding where
necessary.
Transport group stressed the need for a solidarity fund and discussions
about funding were returned to during the day. Money should not mean people
are excluded The consensus ended with agreement that group reps who could
raise money should be asked to contribute a reasonable amount, others should
have a fee suggested - today that was £5 waged and £3 unwaged. No-one
should be turned away or be made to feel deficient for lack of funding.
Groups should be contacted such as IMC and Greengathering. Email lists
should be maintained.
The group should meet again in Jan to report back to the UKA.
*Next meeting 18th Dec ar LARC, 62 Fieldgate St., Whitechapel and again on
6th Jan.

Enlargement and Mobilisation group
Issues include
Getting unions on board.
Contacting groups of pensioners.
Outreach to school children in a way that can help them organise themselves
for next November.
Ethnic minority groups should not have to fight to take part in the ESF and
to get their issues discussed.
War on terror.
Police racism.
East Europe and the countries that have recently joined Europe need to be
contacted. If delegates can't join us then their issues still need to be
raised, therefore discussed via email if not in person. There are European
meetings planned in the next few months so hopefully these issues can be
resolved relatively easily.
Local social fora should be set up, whether they are for or against
national/international representation.
Debate must be conducted in a forum and not behind closed doors.
A diverse group, so no future dates for meetings were agreed.

Process discussion
Must have open decision-making and the forum should be locally advertised to
get as many people as possible involved.
Meetings are planned for every 2 months in Europe and monthly in UK.
Working groups should be accountable to the main group via a plenary
session.
Groups should be open to all, whatever their financial situation, and they
should be accountable.
There should be open discussion at grassroots level about ESF future and its
process and progress and its future.
An international network, probably by email, should be informed of all the
local decisions, eg  info@transform.it The other Europe which is now
invisible [by which I think was meant those people normally disenfranchised
as well as the countries who have recently joined] should be pulled into
discussion or the ESF will become invalid. This will take a lot of time and
hard work but must be accomplished to make the ESF democratic.
Should the ESF happen every year?
A declaration must be written on what political basis your group wants to
join the ESF and then it should pay to join to show that it's a serious
proposition [this did not go down well].
People should be able to pay in kind if they can't pay in cash.
We may need to organise fund raising events.
UK must organise the ESF in November well or it may end up a total waste of
time.
We should use existing group structures to disseminate information to avoid
reinventing the wheel, for instance, use the friendly neighbourhood GLA to
build around.
Women's assembly should be integral to the main assembly but is to be held
on a different day.

Social movement discussion rather ran out of
time but it was agreed that the decisions made in Paris this year should be
respected so long as all is equal. For example, we don't really know what
the European constitution will consist of but do plan some sort of worker's
solidarity demonstration for Europe Day on 9th May. There are
demonstrations planned for the anniversary of the attack on Iraq and for 2nd
3rd April.
Most people accepted that all of us should mobilise against war on 20th
March and some were worried that this would detract from the other demos.


More info and links will be added to this a.s.a.p.