Loomio

Sorry for my absence from the Loomio.

EB Edward Bauer Wed 4 Jun 2014 9:30PM Public Seen by 20

I'm sorry for my absence from Slaney Street message boards recently. This is in part due that for most of May I have been distributing large numbers of Slaney Street around town and organising our great and pretty successfully fund-raising social. I hope people are not to annoyed at me for not replying to outstanding messages. I will be doing so soon.

Overall I think Slaney Street as initiative is doing pretty well at this juncture the paper now has 33 members paying between £3-10 a month as dues giving us a decent income of nearly £200 a month which with advertising is enough to pay for a print run every 2 months. If that is what the committee wishes to continue to do after the Women's edition. We could of course opt for a completely different model.

Slaney Street is getting steady sign ups since the launch of membership & dues in April. At this rate the paper should be on its way to having our target of 50 members by October when we hand over to a new committee who will be elected at the next Slaney Street conference. Hopefully by that time we will have also have become formal cooperative business as well.

During the last month I have decided that it would be best if thing go to plan an in October this project is looking strong that I stand down from the board.

I think I have also needed some downtime from these message boards in small part due being stressed by some problems from debates around Slaney Street, including some very depressing debates in the comments in the printed in white Ink article.

Because of this I have decided that it is it best that I decide to say that I won't be re-standing for the Editorial Board. I hope this will to create political space for new people to come forward and drive the project forward in their own way.

In building a broad organisation like this we need to create unity of interests to unite mutually opposed tendencies – this can't be imposed it has to evolve.

I think some people on the outside looking in, incorrectly consider this to be my personal project and I don't see anyway I can convince them that we are all building this project as an institution for all without stepping aside. I also think it is best that I say this is my plan now.

R

Robert Wed 4 Jun 2014 11:10PM

We'll miss you if you do go.

BW

Bob Whitehead Thu 5 Jun 2014 10:42AM

Just got hold of the fourth edition of Slaney, and am impressed with its development. (We could have used it quite a lot during the recent election campaign.)
There are never guarantees about the long term viability of projects such as these, but I for one consider it worth pursuing. I have not been able to follow all the discussions going on Loomio due to a lack of time, but while no one is irreplaceable, I suspect that Ed has put more into the paper than some, ( certainly myself!). While I do not know all the facts, it seems to me that Ed's resignation from the EB is at least premature.

D

Dorter Thu 19 Jun 2014 1:39PM

Hey. I think you should do whatever feels right to you, Edd, but as far as the concerns of Slaney Street, or the criticism from that piece, i don't think that is reason for you to resign. I would still be up for talking one-on-one with you but in the absence of that, here are my thoughts:

1.The critiques were from a very small number of people. I am neither trying to diminish nor delegitimatize the critiques. I am sure there is basis for them, and i say that with no offense or attack intended, but because those critiques could be true of pretty much any broad anti-capitalist group i have ever been a part of. That said, whilst we should take every single criticism to heart, we shouldn't catastrophise when there are a handful of critiques amongst a lot of support.

  1. We shouldn't be defensive, but act with humility and openness to address the concerns that have been raised. Probably anyone who has felt critical and alienated from such organizing for the last few years will not be in a position to listen or really care about how we respond anytime soon, but by taking these criticisms to heart we can shift the culture and at least be open to new people. If we shut down or defend ourselves against criticisms, we have failed in our own commitments towards anti-oppression principles. But if we acknowledge that we, like everyone, can fuck up, but are prepared to work towards better practices.

  2. Edd, you leaving won't shift the perception that this is your project. If you want to leave for your own reasons, then by all means, do so, but don't think it is for the sake of Slaney Street. You have tremendous energy and a lot of ideas, and put them forward with vigor that, as i have said privately to you, means a lot of stuff gets started that otherwise wouldn't. The down side to this is that it's difficult for people not to see you as the driving force behind them. People's own sexism and other oppressive and elitist ideas will fuel that, too, so that people will always think of it being your project above any women who work hard on it. You leaving will create no less of an association of the project with you. It might mean that there is more space for others to take it in different political directions, but then again, that could happen if you would be able to step aside from making proposals for a while, and continue to do all of the support work that you do. If we can create a stronger structure, and you are able to continue to do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, that can help other people get recognized as part of Slaney Street, and get their own visions recognized.

  3. We have to see this as a long-term thing. We come from a millennial legacy of patriarchy and classism and hundreds of years of white supremacy and ablism (at least). That is hard to undo. There's no blueprint to just follow. We have to just work. If we continue to be open and engaging in such criticisms, at least as an organization (because i can't tell you, Edd, what i think you should do personally. That's obviously up to you and you alone) then we can grow, and, in time earn greater credibility. It's a process. If we quit every time it gets hard, we won't get very far.

  4. Again, as with my suggestions in "moving forward" , i think that we need to create a space for everyone to express their capacity and own vision for the project as a starting point. This can help it move in different directions and build more sustainable and take on a different shape that is more reflective of the community we wish to build.