Hi fellow ESF organisers,

I phoned up David Holland (non political GLA bureaucrat) and he confirmed that everyone who signed the PROPOSAL, but subject to amendment, are not invited. This includes around 1/3 of those present at the last meeting.

The only people who are 'allowed' to speak at this meeting are medium-to-large regional or national groups who have unquestionably accepted the proposal. Even some groups such as the Oxford IMC network - part of the global IMC network - who seem to fit the criteria (at least one Indymedia activist put their name down) have been excluded arbitrarily.

This PROPOSAL was concocted in secret, forced through a meeting by acclamation, and seems clearly designed to exclude those who aren't mates of the SWP/GR and GLA. With this in mind I decided it was pointless to go to this meeting - the UK ESF bid is currently a farce.

It’s hard to know what can be done with this situation, though it is clearly unacceptable, as these people have long experiences of packing meetings, manipulating chairs, imposing agendas and telling lies through nit-picking truth. Without dialog between different groups the European Assembly (which will ultimately have to decide whether the UK ESF goes ahead) may find it difficult to continue the UK hosting of the ESF in 2004.

The group who dominate the process seem to have deliberately created the current stalemate in order to close down the process to them and their mates. The process should have been opened up long ago as outlined in WSF principals - but this would mean them and their authoritarian tactics would be gradually sidelined, so instead they continue to grimly cling on to the control they have gained.

They have declared their intention to destroy the process if they cannot quietly dominate it.

Hamish Campbell
ESF practicalities/culture/media working groups
www.undercurrents.org
www.oxford.indymedia.org.uk

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RESOURCES TO GET INVOLVED

* Mobilise lists  http://lists.mobilise.org.uk/wws/lists/esf (non official organising lists)
* Democratise_the esf list  http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/democratise_the_esf (non official organising list)
* esf_culture homepage  http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/esf_culture (ESF working group)
* esf_media homepage  http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/esf_media (ESF working group)
* Early stage open website  http://www.esf2004.net
* Closed website  http://www.mobilise.org.uk
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