16.06.2010

Simply broke

Robbie Rix points out that a number of small donations would make all the difference

My attempt last week to “shout it out” (“it” being the need for readers to help finance the Weekly Worker) did at least get noticed.

First it provoked comrade EJ into announcing that he had decided to donate an excellent £60 - with an acknowledgment to Jacob Richter because he “made this possible” (no, I don’t know what he means either). Then there was JH, who informs me that she is “not hostile, apathetic or thoughtless”, but “simply broke”. What’s more, she doesn’t even have a “little piece of plastic” to use on our website, so would I rather she didn’t read us at all?

I didn’t mean to imply that, comrade. I only wanted to point out that there are many online readers who can afford to help out, but are indeed “thoughtless” - it doesn’t actually occur to them that a number of small donations would make all the difference. In fact last week there were 12,871 of them, although I don’t know how many of them fall under that category.

One was DC, who donated £15 and commented: “Better grab it quick before I change my mind!” We also received five cheques, including from GR (£40) and IT, who added a tenner to his subscription. Then there were six standing orders totalling £102. That all adds up to £272, taking our total for June’s rather short fighting fund campaign to £587 - rather less than the £850 target I set.

The reason the June fund has finished in mid-month is that the CPGB’s Summer Offensive fundraising drive is about to begin. All donations to the Weekly Worker received over the two-month SO period will be included in the overall total. But don’t worry - gifts intended for the paper will still be used for that purpose.

Anyway, all this means that from next week Howard Roak will be reporting on the progress of the Summer Offensive and I’ll make a reappearance at the back end of August. Over to you, comrade Roak!