Who Killed FREEDOM?: update 3: July 2015

A VICTORY FOR COMMON SENSE!

IN 2014, the world’s oldest radical newspaper, FREEDOM, ceased publication.  As N.V. explained previously, the rot set in back in 2001 when FREEDOM abandoned its traditional free-ranging, tolerant approach and enforced a 'class-first' political line.  In February 2015 (with help from NV comrades) I identified the culprits and causes in a detailed critique, 'Who Killed FREEDOM?' (available on this website).  If you’ve been following the thread you’ll know that whilst individual members of the FREEDOM collective offered intemperate insults, all refused our challenge to openly debate our analysis before an anarchist bookfair audience.

FREEDOM should never have sunk so low as responsibility for publication ultimately lies with its trustees, THE FRIENDS OF FREEDOM PRESS (FFP).  Sadly, as narrow-minded incompetents squandered a 10K annual subsidy, a 6K rental income, wasted 4K on copyright infringement and forgot to renew the insurance just before a fire caused extensive damage the supposed FRIENDS OF FREEDOM PRESS slept more soundly than Rip Van Winkle.  Then one day FFP were rudely awakened by 'WHO KILLED FREEDOM?' 

Although our original article lifted the lid on the death of the world’s oldest radical newspaper the FREEDOM collective blithely insisted the paper’s demise was inevitable, they were not to blame and we were making a fuss about nothing.  All the while FREEDOM’s so called FRIENDS did nothing.  Undeterred we continued to campaign for action, aware that the only hope of reviving FREEDOM was to breath life into FFP and we can now announce that our campaign has succeeded.  Despite determined efforts to bury their heads in the sand and ignore their responsibilities FRIENDS OF FREEDOM PRESS has been entirely reconstituted and will now meet regularly for the first time in forty years.  We rattled the cage and the apparently dead parrot sprang to life! 

We didn’t aim to 'capture' or control FFP but wanted the FRIENDS to address the dire state of FREEDOM.  Our original piece revealed Who Killed FREEDOM?  This update records how the FRIENDS were revived.

1. October 2014, end of FREEDOM after 128 years publication explained away by collective as unavoidable due to the combined effects of financial loss, the internet and the apathy of the anarchist movement.  Although FFP has ultimate responsibility for publication of FREEDOM it did not initiate, was not consulted nor even informed of the newspaper’s closure by the FREEDOM collective.  The collective was responsible for the collapse of the paper but in doing nothing FFP became complicit, the members of FFP slept on undisturbed.

2. In January 2015 'Who Killed FREEDOM' (published on this website) challenged the excuses offered by the FREEDOM collective and blamed the collapse of FREEDOM on the intolerance and incompetence of named individuals.  The essay concluded with a call to FFP 'to belatedly get a grip on the legacy, both intellectual and material handed down to us by anarchists who didn’t hide behind aliases or enforce their own narrow political creed.' 

3. With the cooperation of comrades around the UK we researched FFP and obtained copies of key FFP documents, including the 'Articles of Association' and 'Memorandum of Association' and compiled a comprehensive history of all appointments and resignations from the Board.

4. FFP was formally incorporated on 4th February 1982 with seven directors; Vernon Richards, Colin Ward, Philip Sansom,, Geoffrey Ostergaard, John Hewetson, Olive Markham and Mary Canipa.  The Board was the legal owner of all the assets of FREEDOM PRESS and the primary responsibility of Board Members was to facilitate and ensure the continued 'Printing and publication of the anarchist journal FREEDOM'.  The Memorandum of Association makes crystal clear that FFP is obliged to act; 'In the event of Freedom Press ceasing to exist or for any other reason being unable to continue the publication of FREEDOM…'

5. FFP owns a building worth a million pounds and as the FREEDOM collective formally ceased publishing the paper, then FFP had lots of possibilities available to continue production but doing nothing wasn’t an option.  Although obliged to meet regularly, keep written minutes and formally approve resignations and new members, FFP had become as dysfunctional as the FREEDOM collective.  By 2014 it nominally comprised just 4 members and only Company Secretary, Stephen Charles Sorba, claimed to know who the other three members were!

6. Our researches revealed that on the 20th February 2012 Company Secretary Sorba had registered Richard Parry as a director of FFP at Companies House yet when I contacted Parry he emailed back to express ignorance of his appointment.  Sonia Markham and Donald Rooum expressed similar ignorance of Parry’s appointment.

7. On 20th February 2015, I wrote to Company Secretary Sorba asking him to ensure that FFP  belatedly complied with its formal obligations to maintain publication of FREEDOM, and  proposing the addition of more active, representative Board Members.

8. Curiously, on 3rd March 2015 I received an email response, not from Company Secretary Sorba, but from Richard Parry, 'In my capacity as one of the Directors'.  This letter claimed all was fine with FREEDOM, rejected the specific offer of respected historian Dr David Goodway to join the Board and instead insisted any potential new directors first present themselves to the FREEDOM collective for approval (an inappropriate reversal of the responsibilities of the Board).

9. I subsequently learned that Sonia Markham, the longest-serving Board member, knew nothing of this letter.  Clearly it wasn’t just the FREEDOM collective that was controlled by a clique that cared little for open, democratic procedures.

10. Despite formally representing himself to me as 'one of the Directors', Parry openly admitted the impropriety to Andy Meinke of the Freedom Bookshop who emailed the collective on 24th February 2015, 'Richard rang this morning, he wasn’t even sure he was on the board!' (the exclamation mark is Meinke’s)

11. It is indicative of just how far FFP abrogated its responsibility to an inappropriate collective that Meinke’s February email went on to say; 'ps.  We really should ask some more people to join FFP as four is a bit risky if they all fly on the same plane.  Let’s ask Martin Howard of Solfed and Nick Heath of AF, that’ll cheer Draper up.'

12. To her great credit, Sonia Markham was the sole member of FFP who attempted to get a grip on the FREEDOM debacle yet when she asked Company Secretary Sorba to provide her with the Board’s 'Articles' and 'Memorandum of Association' she was given the run-around.  Fortunately, I was able to supply interested parties with appropriate documents.

13. Realising they had been rumbled, the remaining three 'members' of FFP finally agreed to hold an AGM, the first for years.  Even better they were forced to reconsider nominations from outside their own sphere of influence.

14. That meeting was held on Wednesday 24th June 2015, and it produced an excellent result.  Six new members joined the Board and a constructive discussion ensued.  After Donald Rooum, the sole member of both the FREEDOM collective and FFP, grumbled about our campaign to expose the shameful manoeuvrings at FREEDOM it was generally recognised by all that without our intervention the FRIENDS would have become completely moribund.  From now on the newly revitalised Board of the FRIENDS OF FREEDOM PRESS is pledged to meet quarterly (next meeting 16th September 2015) in order to discuss and discharge their proper responsibilities. 

15. The residual FREEDOM collective are uncomfortable at the prospect of proper oversight and have already met to express an obdurate determination to resist any legitimate intervention by FFP.

16. In contrast, we congratulate FFP on its Phoenix-like rejuvenation and trust members will continue their initial move to restore the ethical and intellectual credibility of FREEDOM.  Typifying the juvenile, sarcastic, 'That’ll cheer Draper up!' approach of Meinke and co. was the collective’s attempt to get a character featured in 'Who Killed FREEDOM? – Update 1' onto the FFP Board.  Exercising impeccable judgement the born–again FFP had little hesitation in consigning the nomination of Gwain the cunt Williams (his self-chosen appellation) to the dustbin of history.

17. The sort of issue FFP might next care to address is the arbitrary judgement and abuse of power by FREEDOM bookshop manager Andy Meinke who, for example, refuses to stock Northern Voices magazine.  Asked why he rejected a popular magazine produced by Northern anarchists and others he recently informed editor Brian Bamford, 'Because I don’t like you Brian'!  Such narrow-minded prejudice needs to be exorcised from FREEDOM and a proper publications policy restored.

18. The ten members of the born-again Board of FFP are as follows:

* Jayne Clementson – graphic artist, long-time layout artist for Freedom Press.

* David Goodway – historian, author and admirer of the anarchism of Colin Ward .

* Martin Howard – Solfed, writer of 'Svartfrost' column in Freedom.

* Sonia Markham – anarchist, retired TV make-up artist and daughter of founding FFP member, pioneering feminist-anarchist and children’s author Olive Dehn.

* Lois Olmstead – anarchist originally from Ohio, ex-member of Freedom collective. 

* Richard Parry – solicitor and author of the 'Bonnot Gang' .

* Martin Peacock – founder of the London Anarchist Bookfair .

* Ernest Rodker – veteran peace campaigner .

* Donald Rooum – veteran Stirnerite anarchist and cartoonist.

* Stephen Charles Sorba – FFP Company Secretary, printer with Aldgate Press. 

19. FREEDOM was traditionally a resource for all open-minded anarchists but terminally declined under the influence of a narrow-minded clique.  The rejuvenation of the FRIENDS is a great success and a positive encouragement to us all to continue the struggle for free-speech, fellowship, peace and anarchy.

Christopher Draper:  3^rd, July 2015.