Leninist Party Faction

To all DSP branch secretaries/ organisers

Here is the report to be relayed to your branch members for their
information about the charges laid today.

Comradely
Peter Boyle
DSP National Secretary

Report to DSP branches about the conduct of LPF members at the Sydney
AVSN annual general meeting on 5-4-08

[This report is based on a report presented to the DSP NE Secretariat on
7-4-08 by Alex Bainbridge.]

This report presents information about the conduct of five LPF members
at the Sydney AVSN AGM on 5-4-08. The information is the basis for
charges being laid by Alex Bainbridge against the five members, and the
LPF as a whole, on 7-4-08.

The relevant facts are:

1. Despite his assignment to AVSN work having been suspended by Sydney
Central branch, Comrade Marcus Pabian attempted to amend the agenda of
the AVSN AGM to include a separate report on "AVSN's campus work", to be
presented by him. Following discussion Marcus P withdrew this motion but
then, during the agenda item on solidarity campaigning, moved a motion
that read, in part: "That this AVSN AGM endorse the building of campus
AVSN clubs" and "This AGM endorses Marcus Pabian coordinating the
establishment of campus AVSN clubs."

Marcus P had presented and spoken in favour of these proposals at the
previous Sydney Central DSP meeting (1-4-08). His proposals were
discussed and decisively rejected by the DSP branch. (Only LPF members
voted in favour of Marcus's proposal.) Despite the DSP branch's
decision, Marcus came to the AVSN meeting with his motion and a
motivation for it typed up and duplicated for all in attendance.

It has since been revealed that LPF member(s) had also discussed the
motion and attempted to line up support for it among a number of non-DSP
members of AVSN before the AVSN meeting.

3. Marcus pressed his motion to a vote at the AVSN meeting, despite the
fact that it was clear that DSP members present were opposing his motion
and despite some at the meeting attempting to develop a compromise
motion.

4. All five LPF members present at the AVSN meeting (John P, Kerry V,
Marcus P, Owen R, Zoe K) voted for Marcus's motion.

5. After the vote, Marcus made a comment loudly enough for all present
to hear along the lines of "So only DSP members voted against my
motion?". (In fact, of the three non-DSP members of AVSN who voted, one
voted for, one against and one abstained.) Whether or not Marcus was
aware that his comment was untrue, his interjection was an attempt to
discredit the democratic vote of AVSN and/or to discredit the DSP in the
eyes of other AVSN members.

6. Later in the meeting, during the item to elect Sydney AVSN
office-bearers, Marcus nominated himself to be a "campus work contact
point" for AVSN, and moved a motion that the AVSN AGM endorse him in
this role. This motion was also rejected, by a larger margin. The three
LPF members still present voted for Marcus's motion.

6. During the meeting, Owen R volunteered to enter contact information
into the AVSN database.

7. After the meeting had finished, Marcus P, John P and Kerry V
attempted to lobby ND to support the establishment of AVSN campus clubs.
During that discussion, according to two people involved, Marcus P
claimed that he had been authorised by the DSP to move his motion at the
AVSN meeting.

Violation of discipline

These actions by the five LPF members were clear violations of DSP
discipline because they contradicted the decisions of two DSP branches'
membership meetings.

Of the five LPF members who participated in this breaking of discipline,
three (Kerry V, Marcus P & Zoe K) were present at the Sydney Central
branch meeting on 1-4-08. A fourth, John P, received an email from
Sydney branch secretary Trish C that read in part: "Any comrades who are
planning to go to the AVSN AGM should come to the branch meeting. If you
are unable to come to the branch meeting, but still want to go to the
AGM, you will need to be briefed on our AVSN projections, so should
contact Alex." John P neither attended the branch meeting nor sought a
briefing on our projections.

Owen R had been suspended from AVSN work by a decision of a Sydney West
DSP branch meeting in March. Nevertheless, at the AVSN AGM he
volunteered to take on work on behalf of AVSN and voted in favour of
Marcus's motion.

Following the Sydney Central DSP branch meeting that explicitly rejected
Marcus P's proposal to recommend to AVSN that it establish campus clubs,
an email was sent by Sydney district secretary Alex B to Marcus P
explicitly reminding him that his assignment to the Latin America
solidarity fraction and AVSN work is currently suspended and that if he
continues to organise regular AVSN activities (as he was threatening to
do) this would be a violation of the constitutional requirement of DSP
members to place all of their political activity under the direction of
the DSP. The email spelt out:

I explicitly informed you over the telephone on 12 March 08, and am
repeating in writing here, that the decision by the executive to suspend
your assignment to the Latin America solidarity fraction includes that
you not organise AVSNstalls on campus or elsewhere, or organise other
AVSNactivities, advertise your phone number as a contact point for AVSN,
attend AVSNorganising meetings or stand for official positions in the
AVSNunless you have been requested to do so by the Latin America
solidarity fraction director or a DSP branch organiser.

Marcus P acknowledged on April 3 (two days before the AVSN AGM) that he
had received this email.

Charges laid

As a result of the actions described above, Comrades Marcus P, John P,
Kerry V, Owen R and Zoe K have been charged with violating the following
sections of Article 4, Paragraph 2 of the DSP constitution:

a. To be loyal to the DSP and its aims.

b. To place all of their political activity under the direction of the
DSP and to engage in the work of the DSP to the best of their ability.

c. To carry out their political activity to the best of their ability in
accordance with the Constitution and decisions of the national and local
governing bodies of the DSP, even if they have argued and/or voted
against those decisions.

e. To conduct themselves in a manner which does not bring the DSP into
public disrepute.

Given the involvement of two members of the LPF national steering
committee (John P and Zoe K) and the pre-meditated and organised nature
of this breaking of discipline, charges have also been laid against the
LPF as a whole (in addition to the charges laid against the individual
members).

The LPF is charged with: Organising its members to break DSP discipline
and to violate the constitution of the DSP. This relates to:

Article 4, Paragraph 2

a. To be loyal to the DSP and its aims.

b. To place all of their political activity under the direction of the
DSP and to engage in the work of the DSP to the best of their ability.

c. To carry out their political activity to the best of their ability in
accordance with the Constitution and decisions of the national and local
governing bodies of the DSP, even if they have argued and/or voted
against those decisions.

e. To conduct themselves in a manner which does not bring the DSP into
public disrepute.

The National Executive Secretariat meeting on March 7, 2008, adopted
(with 1 abstention by Comrade Doug L) the following motion in relation
to the charges laid:

"That the existing investigating commission comprising Lisa M, Dave H
and Susan P be designated the investigating body for the charges laid by
Alex B against LPF members Marcus P, John P, Zoe K, Kerry V and Owen R,
and the LPF as a group", and that the committee "should report back as
soon as possible to the National Executive, which will serve as the
trial body".