All our meetings are free and open to everyone
Meetings Edinburgh
West London
West Lothian
Edinburgh Branch meet the 1st Thursday of the month at a new venue.
Tuesday 21 September, 8pm
Check website for venue updates subject to change: www.geocities.com/edinburghbranch
WILL THERE BE TOO MANY PENSIONERS?
Edinburgh Branch's West Lothian Socialist Discussion Group The Lanthorn,Kennilworth Rise, Dedridge,Livingston 2nd and 4th Wednesdays each month
The Forest Cafe, 3 Bristo Place, Edinburgh Contact: J.Moir 10 Park Ave. Bilston,Roslin,Lothian EH25 9SD tel: 0131 440 0995 email: JIMMY@jmoir29.freeserve.co.uk
Discussion on this pseudo-issue opened by Adam Buick Committee Room Chiswick Town Hall
Manchester
Heathfield Terrace, W4 (Nearest Tube: Chiswick Park)
Monday 27 September, 8 pm
Ramble
CHANGING THE WORLD Hare and Hounds, Shudehill, City Centre
A COUNTRY WALK IN THE HERTFORD AREA Meet at Hertford North railway station. Sunday, September 12th, 11.00am Contact: Vincent Otter 07905-791638.
Wednesday 8th September "Socialism or your money back" An examination of how a free access will work in practice. Is there a plan B? Do we need one? Is there a plan at all?
Wednesday 22nd September "Art and Labour in Capitalism and Socialism" A look at past and contemporary mores with some indiscrete conclusions. These discussion meetings are lively,short intros with plenty of feedback from visitors and members alike. All welcome – admission free.
Obituaries George Meddemmen We are saddened to have to report the death at the end of June, at the age of 84, of our comrade George Meddemmen. He was born in Camberwell, South London, in 1920 and joined the old Bloomsbury branch in 1947. In later years he was a member of Central Branch living in Rayleigh, Essex. Comrade Meddemmen taught art and design and much of his contribution to the party was in this field, designing for instance posters and the front covers and inside illustrations of the pamphlets on war, Ireland and the miners’ strike we published in the 1980s. Asked last year to record his reminiscences he wrote: “I was on demob leave in 1946 after six year war ‘service’ in the artillery (a number of my works, painted during the Italian campaign, are in the archives of the War Museum) and thanks to Tony Turner in Hyde Park, I learned of the party and joined. Apart from my artwork, I've done little of note for the cause. My dizzy heights were reached in the 50s, when I chaired
Socialist Standard September 2004
one of the Party’s Sunday evening public meetings in a T. U club in Gt. Newport St, W1. (Those meetings were very well attended, before TV gripped so many people’s bottoms.)” Which shows that being a soldier is not a bar to later being receptive to socialist ideas
Daphne Cottis We are sorry to also have to report the death in June of comrade Daphne Cottis of Southend who originally joined the Party – in Southend – in 1944. Older and not-so-old members will recall that she often represented Southend branch at Conference, together with her husband Harold (who died three years ago), as well as volunteering to run the literature stall that is always set up on such occasions and maintaining a Socialist Standard round locally. She was also a keen supporter of Southend United football club and for many years acted as a steward at their home matches.
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