22.06.2005

Good progress

First, let me congratulate our mainly student comrades in Sheffield and Leeds, who have been making the best of their summer vacation: they have organised a series of stalls in the area to raise funds for our Summer Offensive. Last Saturday in Leeds, for example, three comrades raised £47, sold out their Weekly Workers, plus two copies of our book Remaking Europe and dozens of our new range of badges (see www.campaignbad-ges.co.uk). Special thanks also go to stalwart supporter MM, who has topped up his substantial regular standing order with his "first cheque for the Summer Offensive" for a whopping £280. He suggests that we can "hopefully" look forward to another donation in July. Much appreciated, comrade. Also we received £100 from comrade TB who is normally based in Scotland. Once again much appreciated. Another £50 has come in via Communist University Wales. This was a slightly smaller affair than in previous years (though some of the debates were of a higher standard, I'm told). Still, money raised from admissions, together with book and badge sales, enabled comrades in Wales to combine stimulating political debate with fundraising. Speaking of Communist University, the programme for our annual summer school (August 13-20) might not be finalised yet, but it is possible to reserve your place now. Confirmed speakers so far include Critique editor Hillel Ticktin, Peter Tatchell of Outrage and speakers from the Communist Party of Turkey. Comrade JS had sent us his £30 deposit a few months back, but now tells us that because of ill health he will not be able to attend after all. He generously suggests that we should count the £30 towards the Summer Offensive. TKP comrades have incidentally just given us £60 from sales of the Weekly Worker - mainly to Turkish and Kurdish leftwingers. This week, amongst our new and renewed subscriptions to the Weekly Worker, was a comrade from America who paid online via our PayPal facility. However it comes in, it all counts towards our fundraising drive. Unfortunately though, none of the 12,945 online readers last week remembered to leave us a donation. Over to you, comrades! If you appreciate our open and democratic press, now is the time to show it. Still, not a bad week all in all, which has seen our running total rise by £1,775 to £5,396.25. Three weeks in and we have raised over one-sixth of our £30,000 target. Add to that the forthcoming G8 protests in Edinburgh and various fundraising events going on around the country, and I am becoming increasingly optimistic that we will not only meet our target, but break right through it. But we need the support of all party members and supporters as well as the many thousands of Weekly Worker readers to achieve this important financial goal. Money raised now will help secure our move to new party offices, the purchase of much needed computer equipment for the production of the Weekly Worker and enable us to carry out some overdue repairs to our printing machinery l Howard Roake