the SWP have stopped having meetings in pubs so that muslims can go. Now maybe i'm daft but surely you can be muslim and drink an orange juice, and secondly if your that conservative a muslim what the fuck would you be doing joining a party of godless socialists?
Meetings: Pubs or Community Centres
revol - Is that an overall thing, or just some branches?
I think they tested it for a while in Colchester, but I'm pretty sure they realised it was a stupid idea pretty quickly and stopped - mainly because they still never got a single Muslim going along. 
I think this is a pretty good topic tho - we discussed this in CAG a bit. If we hadn't had a sympathetic lefty (ish) landlord, the situation would have very different. Our decision was largely down to cost than anything else - fucked if we were paying to hire a place in a community centre if we could get a pub for free.
To be hoenst as well, I think having it in a pub, which ineveitably makes the whole thing more social does encourage people to turn up to meetings more often - and I'd guess it'd make people who were interested a bit more likely to come along.
There's also the difference between getting a pub room, or just sitting in a pub. Previously I'd have always thought just sitting in a pub wouldn't have worked, but SLSF do this, and it's always been fine.
If you were to get a pub back room are underage people not allowed in?
Do community centres have any more that kids of members can be doing that pub rooms don't? I'd assume at the time meetings would be in the evening, most of the facilities would be closed?
guydebordisdead wrote:
How is meeting in a pub practical? Unless you mean renting a back room.
I'd thought this, and always thought the idea of a normal pub wouldn't work.
However, SLSF get around this by meeting in the shittest pub in all of South London, and so there's never anyone in there to distract from stuff. 
Seriously tho, if it's in a not too busy pub, it has (as far as I've known) not been a problem at all, and is a lot less impractical than you'd imagine.
And it means pissed people seem to keep buying the button drinks, thus allowing us to make him take the minutes yet again.
We get a surprising amount sorted in the pub! We're currently looking into pub back rooms as well. I'm pretty sure you can't have kids anywhere on a licensed premises unless it's an eating place.
I think the optimal is a pub back room with a creche... I think it's more about removing obstacles for people that want to get to meetings, rather than encouraging people to come along who aren't that bothered. I mean, they're organising meetings - not desperately casual at the best of times. I think it would be better to have a tight meeting at a community centre, then go to the pub afterwards...
Hmm we tend to use a college public space (cafe area), good when it's in the evening cos other people aren't in there much and there's loads of space for meetings of a dozen or more people (which can be a problem in a lot of pubs - space). Also means fewer pissed people gabbing on while we're trying to sort stuff, minors can attend (we have had a couple knocking about at various points over the last couple years), and we often head down the pub afterwards if people wanna go.
Downside: Shuts down during the summer and I have to try and persuade the more hippyish members not to go sit in the park, which is rubbish for organising in.
As readers may have gathered, we meet in a pub. However, I'd far rather meet in a pub function room, Trades & Labour Club or similar. One thing I'm aware of in a pub is the pressure to keep getting the drinks in which 1) not everyone can afford and 2) can make longer meetings trail off somewhat towards the end.
I think pubs are fine some of the time, though obviously they put some people off. Surely the logical answer is to alternate it a bit, means you won't be getting on the nerves of venues by meeting there too often either.
Never been involved in any sort of group that alternated venues before, but i imagine it might place more emphasis on the meeting and could possibly reduce the inevitable thoughts of ''here we are, in the same pub as last week discussing the same old shit' that always crop up in everyones heads at meetings.
A coffee shop would be nice actually. Though that would be restricted to larger cities though, in most towns coffee shops usually close fairly early, especially the larger chains you might get the odd independent that stays late but not many.
i pretty sur we (R&BC) tried this at one time, one problem is ocassional ateendees will be discuoraged if they turn up at the wrong venue. Having long standing points of contact is important IMO. But the White Hart isn't a welcoming venue IMO SLSF folks.
Of course some community centres and social centres can be dire places.
Jack wrote:
guydebordisdead wrote:
How is meeting in a pub practical? Unless you mean renting a back room.Seriously tho, if it's in a not too busy pub, it has (as far as I've known) not been a problem at all, and is a lot less impractical than you'd imagine
I dunno. I would still equate meeting in a pub with something anti-organisationals or less serious groups would do. People drinking at a meeting would surely mean lots of coming and going to the bar/toilet and you'd look silly with someone chairing and having to raise your hand to talk in front of the rest of the pub. On a practical level if you get more than a handful of people at your meetings it could be quite difficult to fit everyone around a table.
Pubs are for after meetings.
guydebordisdead wrote:
I dunno. I would still equate meeting in a pub with something anti-organisationals or less serious groups would do. People drinking at a meeting would surely mean lots of coming and going to the bar/toilet and you'd look silly with someone chairing and having to raise your hand to talk in front of the rest of the pub. On a practical level if you get more than a handful of people at your meetings it could be quite difficult to fit everyone around a table.Pubs are for after meetings.
My thoughts exactly, though if you've only got a very small number of people along, it's not too bad, as long as you aren't drinking too quick. Though I am talking about groups of three or four max, which is more a friendly chat over a pint than a real meeting
Quote:
I dunno. I would still equate meeting in a pub with something anti-organisationals or less serious groups would do. People drinking at a meeting would surely mean lots of coming and going to the bar/toilet and you'd look silly with someone chairing and having to raise your hand to talk in front of the rest of the pub. On a practical level if you get more than a handful of people at your meetings it could be quite difficult to fit everyone around a table.
You're underestimating just how shit and empty this pub is.
Also, for context at the moment we get between 5 and 10 people at a meeting, so if/when we grow, obviously the situation will change.
The going to the bar and chairing hasn't been a problem really (bear in mind on this, I came into the group thinking "For fucks sake, they just meet in the pub???") - it's in rounds so it all goes at once - the toilet is the only real issue. And that's mainly me because I have the worlds crappest bladder. 
I think our meetings are well enough chaired, and as far as I'm aware, no one really feels embarassed doing stuff with it being public - we're usually in a corner with no fucker anywhere near us anyway. The table thing isn't a problem - we just put 2 together.
If we could get a function room, it'd be much better, tbh I'm pretty new in the area and don't know how do-able this is. But I think that while not perfect, if it's the right kind of pub and it's well managed it can actually work a lot better than you might imagine. Edmonton Wobbly came to one of our meetings as an 'outsider' - perhaps he could give some input into this if he sees it? Did you think it worked okay?
The only really problem is the button getting pissed and bullying me calling me a floppy haired reedy voiced cunt towards the end of every meeting.
Jason Cortez wrote:
But the White Hart isn't a welcoming venue IMO SLSF folks.
Yes, we know. TBH that's why it works - if it was really busy there'd not be space to meet. Ideally there would be a better alternative which wouldn't cost too much. But there isn't AFAIK - and running a social centre takes a lot of people and energy.
I can also remember spending ages meeting in freezing, damp squats over the years and a pub (even the White Hart) is more welcoming, unless you've got kids (or observant Mulsims) in tow.
Personally, I'd like to see some sort of Libertarian Socialist Club in the area (along the lines of the Labour club but with better politics), but I can't see it happening anytime soon.
Regards,
Martin
guydebordisdead wrote:
you'd look silly with someone chairing and having to raise your hand to talk in front of the rest of the pub.
As a last resort Reclaim the Streets had meetings in the Arsenal Tavern. The backroom was partially visible from one of the bars, leading to the occasional elderly spectator. Midway through a meeting when the facilitator was summing up someone declared in a loud Irish accent "He must be the king".
rich wrote:
There's currently a debate going on in Norwich anarchists about if we should meet in pubs or community centres. We currently meet in a pub.Some issues with the pub are:
* Access for people with kids
* Access for people still at schoolWhat do people think?
I would think that it would also be reasonable to accept that people in recovery might not want to meet in a pub.
Business first - beer later.
Having a meeting in a pub could give the impression that you're not all that serious and your group is essentially a social/drinking club, imho.
In many towns the pubs are divvied up by geographical or subcultural "types", which will mean that having a meeting in one will not only put off people who don't like pubs, but people who feel they don't fit in with that particular pub's clientelle.
I'm also surprised that many women seem to think (rightly or wrongly) that pubs in general are still predominantly male spaces which they would feel uncomfortable going into alone.
These problems may also apply to community centres, but less so. (Is the centre associated with a local clique?)
persoonally i really dont like pubs, especially the smoking (looking forward to the ban). So any meeting in a pub will reduce my chances of coming - i know there are others who feel the same.
But then again if you know your crew and they are all allright with it, then there is no problem.
We are fortunate in manchester to have the radical social centre basement which is a fantastic place for meetings. There is coffee/tea/snacks/etc on offer, good spaces for meetings, internet access if we need it in the middle of the meeting, all solfed material is there somewhere in the bookshop, library, or storage area if we need it, there are calendars and noticeboards there where we can check that we dont clash with any other events if we are planning something and so on. Basement is also centrally located which makes it all very convenient.
I gotta agree that the pub's far friendlier than a community centre. Meetings can be pretty soul-destroying (although I do actually enjoy most of the SLSF meetings...until the fuckin IWA bureaucracy bullshit comes up), and the pub makes it a bit more bearable. I guess it comes down to whether you tolerate having the will to live sucked out of you by the parlous state of British anarchism without some kinda comfort drink really.
....
Last night was great though. One of the classic moments that reminds me why I live in South London. 
Yeah I think if its a business meeting you should have as formal an atmoshpere as possible. We book a room through a friendly student group on the U of A campus. Committee work tends to be more informal and I know that some of our branch's committees meet in a liscenced resteraunt, and one at someone's house and there is sometimes a small amount of beer involved. I'm pretty stuffy when it comes to business though, generally I think beer first work later as well.
There's currently a debate going on in Norwich anarchists about if we should meet in pubs or community centres. We currently meet in a pub.
Some issues with the pub are:
* Access for people with kids
* Access for people still at school
What do people think?