Theos-Talk Archives (December 1998 Message tl00043)

John E Mead <jmead@InfoAve.Net> writes
>there is a small blurb in the new Theosophist (Adyar)
>which says the England group is defining new goals etc.
>to increase membership etc.

Sorry folks -they have been doing this every year since I joined.
According to the National council Report for Spring 1998 (Once a year
meeting) the plans are

1.  To rename the General Secretary the National President, a post
newly filled by Peter Barton. (The makeup of the 1998-1999 Exec.
Cttee. is more or less the same old names).

2. "... rekindle use of both Headquarters and Tekels Park and ... start
with a pilot scheme of four subsidised weekends at Tekels Park to
which two members from every Lodge or Centre would be invited for
training [?? - Alan] and discussion."

3. "... of 40 National Councillors, only 21 attended and 5 sent
apologies.  National Council is the nucleus of the TS in England.  Where
are the other 16 National Councillors?  Do they not care what
happens?  Enthusiasm must be rekindled step by step.  Someone
suggested as 'Think Tank' meeting in London."

Quoted items are from the Southern Federation Regional Journal
"Shared Wisdom" Issue 30, July/December 1998.  This used to be
issued quarterly, but I suspect that like the TS in England as a whole,
the drop in membership numbers has been followed by a drop in
resources.  "Official" publications (Such as the Adyar *Theosophist*
will always put a pretty gloss on things.  I would have though everyone
was wise to this by now!
>
>I wanted to give everyone a heads-up on this.
>
>seemed contrary to facts we've seen in the past.

I am sure it is.  Perhaps the 'Think Tank' has thunk ... but if there had
been a major shift in UK thinking and activity, I am sure I would have
heard of it by now.  Peter Barton is an OK guy, and a good speaker,
but so far as I know they had to move him from Scotland into England
(or make a special dispensation) before he could be elected to the top
job here, otherwise he would have stood in 1997.  There just aren't
enough people of sufficient calibre still *within* the UK TS to take the
job.
>
Alan
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