24.01.2008

Fighting fund

New target

Before our appeal for increased standing orders has really got going, we have received a couple of highly encouraging responses.

First, a new standing order of £20 a month from comrade GD, a partisan of the Campaign for a Marxist Party. GD is critical of many aspects of CPGB politics, but he knows the meaning of comradeship and partyism. Good on you, comrade!

Second, I got a phone call from SB, a Tyneside comrade, who promised to fill in our special standing order form (included with this week’s paper). She too is committed to £20 a month, even though she is on a low income. And all she wants in return is a couple of Lenin badges!

Don’t forget, we need to raise an extra £500 a month in regular income to pay for our new commercial printing arrangement following the demise of our own print machine. Another 23 standing orders like these two would see us there. It can be done and I am confident it will be done!

Apart from these new regular payments, I have had some very healthy one-offs too. Comrades CS, TP, and DR all sent in donations via our online PayPal facility (they were three out of 27,959 visitors last week). CS, a student comrade, contributed a magnificent £100, while TP, a Hopi activist, came up with £20 and DR, a relatively new CPGB comrade, added £15 to his Weekly Worker resubscription.

In addition I received £60 from TR (who doesn’t have an SO but is as regular as clockwork), and £25 from PR, who promises “more to come as the year goes by” and wishes us “better luck in the future” with printing the paper. Not to mention AW, who added precisely £1 to his subscription. It all helps!

All that adds up to £241 received in a single week. Thanks to one and all. Believe it or not, we have £495 towards our normal £500 monthly target with a week to go. Will we make it? Of course, we will. But now we need a great deal more. In fact, we now need £1,000 a month … We must get there in six months time or we are in real trouble.