Young Fabians Group Constitution (2014-15)

1

The Young Fabian Group shall be an integral part of the Fabian Society.

2

It shall have no other collective policy beyond that contained in Rule 2 of the Fabian Society.  No resolution of a political character expressing an opinion or calling for action shall be put forward in the name of the Group.

3

The activities of the Group shall include the publication of pamphlets and magazines, the holding of conferences and meetings, the promotion of research and other activities consistent with Rule 2 of the Fabian Society.

The Group may enlist the support of members for activities of other organisations within the labour movement, including the Fabian Society, consistent with Rule 2 of the Fabian Society.

4

Membership of the Group shall be open to all members of the Fabian Society not more than 30 years old. Full membership of the Group shall be limited to those who are willing to accept the rules and bye-laws of the Fabian Society and who are eligible for individual membership of the Labour Party.

Those who are members of political parties which oppose, or intend to oppose, the Labour Party at local, regional, national and European elections cannot remain or be accepted as full members.

Associate members of the Fabian Society may become Associate members of the Group, but may not vote in the election of the Executive Committee, and may not serve on the Executive Committee or vote on any resolution put to the membership.

5

Before the Annual General Meeting the Group shall elect an Executive Committee of twelve members to hold office for one year, subject to satisfactory attendance. All full members of the Group, who have nominated themselves or have been nominated, with their consent, by full members of the Group, are eligible to stand for election to the Executive Committee. At least four of the 12 members elected shall be women, provided four women are duly nominated.

Election shall be by ballot of all members, including members of recognised Local Young Fabian Groups whose names have been received at the office of the Fabian Society, and whose Local Young Fabian Group affiliation fees have been paid.

 

The 12 candidates with the greatest number of votes shall be elected to the Executive Committee. In the event of a tie the Chair of the Young Fabian Group shall have a casting vote.  The newly elected Executive Committee shall take office immediately subsequent to the Annual General Meeting.

The Executive Committee shall make such other rules for the conduct of elections of the Executive Committee as are compatible with the provisions of the Constitution.

6

The Executive Committee shall conduct the general business of the Group, appoint sub-committees and groups, sanction publications, meetings, conferences and research and raise such funds as may be necessary to supplement provision made by the Executive Committee of the Fabian Society.

The Executive Committee shall produce a financial plan following the AGM, which shall include a provisional annual budget, a fundraising target and guidance to Executive Committee members on how expenditure should be requested and agreed.

The Executive Committee shall propose guidelines, amended from time to time, stating the procedure to be followed when planning Young Fabian events.

The Executive Committee shall have the right to co-opt up to five additional non-voting members. The Executive Committee may allocate defined roles to co-opted members.

Casual vacancies caused by the resignation of elected members of the Executive Committee shall be filled by the next eligible runners up in the election of the current Executive Committee in order of the number of votes they received. In event of a tie, the Executive Committee shall collectively hold a casting vote.

Six voting members shall be a quorum.  The Executive Committee shall make such Standing Orders for the conduct of its meetings as are compatible with the provisions of the Constitution. All meetings of the Executive Committee, and of its subcommittees and groups, shall be open to the membership of the Group. The time and location for all such meetings shall be published to the membership with reasonable time before it is held.

Minutes and attendance of Executive meetings shall be available to the membership no later than six weeks after one has been held.

7

If a member of the Executive Committee does not attend two consecutive meetings of the Executive Committee, and does not present prior apologies for those meetings, he or she shall be deemed to have resigned.

8

The Executive Committee shall elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and Anticipations Editor. No person shall be eligible for election as Chair twice.

 

At the Annual General Meeting, the incoming Executive Committee shall agree the roles and responsibilities of its elected members. Following presentation to the Annual General Meeting of a document detailing these roles, this document shall be considered part of this constitution until the following Annual General Meeting.

9

The Annual General Meeting of the Group shall be held on the same day as the Annual General Meeting of the Fabian Society. The venue and time of the Annual General Meeting shall be announced by the Executive Committee one month in advance.

10

Nine members of the Executive Committee or three per cent of the full members of the Group shall have the power to call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Group provided at least four weeks’ notice is given to the members of the Group. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall have the power to amend the Constitution and pass resolutions.

11

Notice under this constitution shall be valid if it is placed on the Young Fabian website, is emailed to members using the most up to date members’ contact list and is advertised in writing.

12

The Chair of the Executive Committee or other member of the Executive Committee chosen by the Executive Committee shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Fabian Society and the Executive Committee shall have the right to nominate a member of each of the main Committees of the Fabian Society.

A nominee of the Executive of the Fabian Society may serve on the Executive Committee of the Young Fabian Group. The General Secretary of the Fabian Society, or his or her nominee, shall be free to attend meetings of the Executive Committee in an advisory capacity.

13

No book, pamphlet or tract submitted to the Group shall be published unless approved as of suitable standard and subject matter according to the rules made by the Executive Committee of the Fabian Society. All publications sponsored by the Group shall bear a clear indication that they do not represent the views of the Group, but only those responsible for preparing them.

The production of any newsletter, magazine or other journal in the name of the Group shall be undertaken solely by the Executive Committee or by a sub-committee appointed by the Executive Committee for that purpose, which shall be responsible to the Executive Committee, or by the Fabian Society on behalf of the Group.

14

The Executive Committee shall have the power to recognise a Local Group and to approve its rules and to make bye-laws for the regulation of such groups. The Executive Committee shall have the power to determine the annual fee for each member of a Local Group to be paid by the Local Group to the National Group, together with the minimum payment to be paid by each Local Group.

The Executive Committee shall prepare guidelines, amended from time to time, stating the procedure to be followed for establishing a Local Group.

15

Any questions as to the interpretation of this Constitution shall be normally settled by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall notify the membership should the Constitution be at any time breached.

Full members may submit resolutions to Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). These resolutions shall be properly proposed and seconded and submitted to the executive committee no less than three weeks in advance of the meeting date. The Executive Committee shall give notice to the membership of these resolutions at least two weeks in advance. Alterations shall be agreed by a simple majority of those present and voting, subject only to the agreement of the Executive Committee of the Fabian Society

 

APPENDIX 

Rule 2 of the Fabian Society:

The Fabian Society consists of socialists.  It therefore aims for a classless society, where a just distribution of wealth and power assures true equality of opportunity.   It holds that society, through its democratic institutions, should determine the overall direction and distribution of economic activity, and seeks to promote where appropriate the social and co-operative ownership of economic resources. It argues for strong and accountable public institutions reflecting the values of public service to meet need.   It believes in an active democracy, characterised by liberty, tolerance and respect for diversity.   It aims at the implementation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and seeks the creation of effective international institutions to uphold and promote world peace and sustainable development.   It seeks to secure these ends by the methods of political democracy.

The Society, believing in equal citizenship in the fullest sense, is open to persons, irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or creed, who commit themselves to its aims and purposes and undertake to promote its work.   Its activities shall be the furtherance of socialism and the education of the public on socialist lines by the holding of meetings, lectures, discussion groups and conferences, the promotion of research into political, economic and social problems, national and international, the publication of books, pamphlets and periodicals, and by any other appropriate methods.  The Society shall be affiliated to the Labour Party.