Delegates to Respect conference are elected by the branches on a ratio of one delegate for every ten members. Last year Tower Hamlets Respect was entitled to send forty delegates. This year it is seventeen. I will have conference weekend free, having failed to get elected. Fortunately political pluralism and a diversity of socialist opinions will be guaranteed by the nine SWP members who were elected.

Another SR supporter in another branch had the same experience on the previous evening. Like me he had been at the previous Respect conferences. My view is that the decision was taken out of concern that we are not getting the politics / relaxation balance right. It means that we can use the weekend for a walk in country or a romantic weekend in Paris instead. Not together though.

We also agreed to an enhancement to the rich cultural and political mix of life of the branch. We are going to have a Bookmarks stall at every Respect members’ meeting from now on. Some silly people, like me, thought that Bookmarks is a SWP brand. How stupid can I be? It’s also the official bookshop of the TUC. So that’s alright then.

Latin American stuff and global warming

Thursday’s organising meeting for Latin American activity was a much better event than the July one. Five people turned up and there were four kosher apologies. The next one is on September 21 in the Praxis Centre in Pott Street again.

I should have sorted out some of the details for the Jeremy Dear meeting yesterday but I think I’m a victim of global warming. An insect bite that I received on Wednesday became infected. It required a trip to the doctor, steroids and antibiotics. I was the third similar case in the surgery by 12.30. That’s not normal.