Beginning a proto-branch

Your Party is just founding. This toolkit is about how to capture the enthusiasm in a local area, share it between people, then funnel it valuable campaigns and also translate that into relevant interventions about party formation.

There's a lot to get done locally, but things are moving fast nationally, too. A national conference in 3-6 months is being planned. Regional assemblies are also being discussed. So consider what a proto-branch's priorities, goals and structures should look like (and what to deprioritise) in the short, medium and long term.

First, orient yourself

See if people are already organising in your area

There might already be a proto-branch in your area. This toolkit has an incomplete list of proto-branches to help you get involved.

You can also search online and in social media to see if your local proto-branch is advertising its existence.

If not, reach out and propose a gathering

Find people. Hold a meeting. Decide agenda. Build some basic relationships? Any decisions to make immediately? Decide what to do next.

There will probably be existing political and/or community groups in your area. Involve them!

• Why involve them?

Use established networks to find out about them. That could be:

• WhatsApp and Facebook groups
• Mailing lists
• Direct contact via emails, phone calls, messaging and meetings

You might invite collaboration with...

• Community and neighbourhood groups
• Social movement groups
• Trade union and other workers' groups
• Political organisations

Short-term priorities: gathering people and discussing interim democratic structures

At the beginning of organising, you've likely self-selected yourself (and maybe a few friends). Good initiative!

Focus on establishing democratic structures and wide engagement with activists in your area.

Things like organising committees should be temporary and automatically dissolving, given the informal nature of things.

You could decide a temporary organising structure in meeting #1

Before the first meeting, invite individuals and groups to submit proposals for a committee structure and an election for that committee in that first meeting.

If you're go to that, make sure you have invited a range of people and groups. This way the decision will have broad support.

The proposal could be as simple as a temporary meeting organising committee, that dissolves at the next meeting.

Why decide how to decide?

• Better to have a decision made on how to decide, rather than nothing.
• It ensures that people who are making decisions have the consent of others.
• Let's experiment with the most democratic way to proceed.

What if meeting #1 can't decide on a structure?

If the meeting can't decide on a structure — that's OK! People need time to think about decisions.

Alternatively you might have organised an initial gathering so that people can meet each other, build a relationship and share ideas without the pressure of needing to make decisions right away.

In this case, aim to agree a process for deciding on a structure, maybe ending with another meeting.

Wider activities after the basics

In the run up to conference

Your Party members will potentially be involved in regional assemblies and in the national conference, either creating, reviewing or voting on proposals such as the national constitution, key principles and other big decisions.

Political discussions and debates at a local level are important, then, to help members to develop their thinking on how local issues influence key debates playing out nationally.

In preparation for a formal branch

People are motivated by different priorities and ideas. It's important to allow this to flourish, while developing a collective consciousness.

This could include discussions on topics like:

• policy and programme
• local grievances and needs
• values and principles

But collective conciousness is also developed through relationship-building, collective action and big gatherings.