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David Holland is not authorised to organise esf meeting

dean | 28.01.2004 14:44 | European Social Forum

David has been given no authority by the uk esf to organise an esf meeting.

I have just got off the phone to david holland. I introduced myself & told him i had just received a email about the meeting on thurs. He asked what group i was from. I replied the wombles & asked who gave him authority to organise an uk esf meeting. He said he just does as he's told. He said he wasn't going to enter into a political debate. I replied this was a practical consideration as he had organised the last esf uk assembly (jan 24th) which [again he had no authority by the uk esf to do] was badly organised. He hung up.

This is the transparency & openness we were assured would take place?

I urge people concerned with the obvious lack of transparency & openness to make it known on thursday.

dean

Comments

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PS

28.01.2004 14:52

I just phoned back David Holland who informed me he was told to book the room & send out e-mails. I asked him which person/group asked him to book the room & send out the invitations. I asked him [in the intersts of transparency & openness] times which person/group asked him to book the room. He refused.

It wasn't the uk esf assmbly who asked him to do this. In fact nothing was agreed at the last meeting about just where this meeting would be.

dean

Anarchists must engage, with reservations

28.01.2004 17:54

I've been following the debate about the ESF and the attempts by GR/SWP/Others to manipulate the process, and it seems clear to me that there is a systematic attempt to steer the ESF process by authoritarian/state collaborators. Its great to see that people are fighting back against the hierarchical authoritarian tendencies that want to hijack the ESF process, though I fear that it is too late to make a truly grassroots European Social Forum in the UK.

If we return to consider the original PGA hallmarks, the process as currently "progressing" fails the test, but we, as anarchists/anti-authoritarians MUST remain engaged and speak the truth, highlight the manipulation and fight to the end. The ESF may occur in the UK but we should remain engaged, critical, and cede no ground to the authoritarians who want to abuse the true principles of the ESF to recruit newspaper sellers and vote-fodder for their reactionary collaborationist schemes.

fight to the end, no surrender to authority

dawn

dawn

be clear bot your criticism

29.01.2004 10:25

the debate surrounding the esf in relation to democratic discision making seems interesting . but please give consideration to people who have not attended the esf planning meetings.what i have heard is that about 150 people attended the last one and that swp took over in a non-democratic way. if this is true fine, but i would like details, eg who said what, when, why -who chairing the meeting ,does voting take place, what are the differences ect ect.
it is no good to take it for granted that people who cannot attend know the ins and outs of the differences.
i do have problems with some swp (usually hacks and some are really up their own arse) but lets face it they have been the motor of recent mass movements, they can deliver on occasions but also they do need to change, just like any group/organisation. like every one i want the esf to be a success. let the debate be real do not fudge.

red letter

undemocratic methods

30.01.2004 12:35

The SWP used their classic undemocratic authoritarian method of turning up in numbers, arguing their case and winning the vote.

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