15.06.2005
Personal services
A slow week for the SO, but nothing to panic about yet. Congratulations to CPGB comrades who seem to have had a good day at the 2,000-strong anti-G8 protest in Sheffield on June 12. Weekly Workers and badges to the value of £100-plus were sold, as well as a number of new contacts made for the Party. According to one CPGBer, "Our badges went down a storm. We got a lot of interest in our take on the Make Poverty History campaign and the need to reject charity-mongering in favour of active and practical solidarity". Badges relating to the campaign - as well as downloadable leaflets explaining this militant approach - are available on the Campaign Badges website (www.campaignbadges.co.uk). Another comrade tells us that he has been approaching colleagues at work "to help the CPGB sending young and unemployed supporters to the G8 protests to Edinburgh. I offered some 'personal services' to raise money - back massages, in case you're wondering. I do 16 minutes for £10. As you will guess from this odd amount, it took a bit of haggling," says comrade PW from south London, "but I have already raised £40 this way." At the same time as taking advantage of our £5 intro subscription to the Weekly Worker, comrade CW has also taken out a £5 standing order to the party. This is what we actually need to see during this two-month fund drive - far more people using the SO as a prompt to make a regular financial commitment to our organisation, no matter what the amount. Not that one-offs from sympathisers in other organisations aren't appreciated, of course! Comrade JG, a Green Party supporter from Oxford, tells us: "The Weekly Worker is by some distance the best read on the left. I'm addicted to it!" - and has given one of our comrades in Oxford £20. All in all, our running total this week has only increased by a slightly concerning £946 to £3,937. Let's up the pace, comrades. Howard Roake
Worker