Young Fabian Group Constitution
IThe Young Fabian Group shall be an integral part of the Fabian Society.
2 It shall have no other collective policy beyond what is implied by association with, and in particular observance of Rule 2 of, the Fabian Society and commitment to democratic socialism. No resolution of a political character expressing an opinion or calling for action shall be put forward in the name of the Group.
3The activities of the Group shall include the publication of pamphlets, the holding of conferences and meetings, the promotion of research and enquiries and other activities that may be attractive to men and women not more than 30 years old, and may enlist their support for the Fabian Society and for socialism generally.
4	Membership of the Group shall be open to all members of the Fabian Society not more than 30 years old, who opt to join. 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 and national 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 to revise the Constitution.
5	Before the Annual General Meeting the Group shall elect an Executive Committee of 12 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 4 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. In the event of a tie the Chairman 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.
6The Executive Committee shall conduct the general business of the Group, appoint sub-committees and groups, sanction publications and raise such funds as may be necessary to supplement provision made by the Executive Committee of the Fabian Society.
The Executive Committee shall have the right to co-opt up to five additional non-voting members. Casual vacancies caused by the resignation of elected members of the Executive Committee shall be filled by the runners up in the election of the current Executive Committee in order of the number of votes they received. 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 Young Fabian Group.
7If 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. This rule shall take effect after the first meeting of each new Executive Committee.
8	The Executive Committee shall elect a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary and allocate such other
duties as seem appropriate.
No person shall be eligible for election as Chairman in consecutive years.
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 day, place and time to be announced by the Executive Committee two months in advance.
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.
nThe Chairman 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 shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Young Fabian Group. The General Secretary of the Fabian Society, or his or her deputy, shall be free to attend meetings of the Executive Committee in an advisory capacity.
No book, pamphlet or tract submitted to the Group shall be published unless approved as of suitable standard 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 commit the Group, but only those responsible for preparing them. The production of any newsletter, magazine or other journal in the name of the Young Fabian 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 Young Fabian Group.
The Executive Committee shall have the power to recognise a Local Group and to approve its rules and to make bye-laws for the regulations 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.
MAny questions as to the interpretation of this Constitution shall be settled by the Executive Committee (EC). The Constitution may be revised at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) provided that amendments shall be properly pro-
posed and seconded and circulated to the membership by the EC at least 14 days in advance. Resolutions concerning the work of the Group shall be similarly circulated to members in advance of the AGM or EGM. Alterations shall be agreed by a simple majority of those present and voting, subject only to the agreement of the EC of the Fabian Society.
November 1991
Rule 2 of the Fabian Society: The
Society consists of socialists. It therefore aims at the establishment of a society in which equality of opportunity will be assured and the economic power and privileges of individuals and classes abolished through the collective ownership and democratic control of the economic resources of the community. It seeks to secure these ends by the methods of political democracy. It also aims at the implementation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Right-s. It seeks the creation of effective international institutions to uphold and enforce world peace. The Society, believing in equal citizenship in the fullest sense, is open to persons, irrespective of sex, race or creed, who commit themselves to its aims and purposes and undertake to promote its work.
The Society shall be affiliated to the Labour Party. 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, conferences and summer schools, the promotion of research into political, economic and social problems, national and international, the publication of books, pamphlets snd periodicals, and by any other appropriate methods.'
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