Not the behaviour of a saviour

Published Tuesday 12 August 2008 at 11:30

It is often said that any two people’s recollection of events can considerably differ.

May I be allowed to challenge William Maxwell’s interpretation of Graham Hamilton’s election as Equity president as a reward for being the man who saved Equity. In my opinion, it would be the prize for the man who, above all others, has revolutionised Equity from the professional association I knew under Andre Morell as president and Gerald Crosdell as general secretary.

Graham has not only deleted British and Non Political from our title, but replaced the ordinary members AGM with an Equity “Village” of activists elected by only some 3 to 5% of voters. He has created a council in which the majority representative group members usually obey the instructions of the senior management team. They then instruct the annual conference members in writing how they are expected to vote. As a result I can’t recall any motion opposed by council to be carried with a two third majority.

In my opinion, this has come about because the old Rules Revision Committee of the seventies of which Graham was the chair and I the vice chair. After more than two years hard work, our proposals were amended at the consequent Rule Change SGM so drastically that Graham had to withdraw proposing our suggestions. The meeting became filled at its end with professionals who voted the whole thing down. I suggest that, understandably, he has become obsessed with rule changes ever since to bring about that which we did not achieve then.

There are now proposals for an extravagantly expensive two day Autumn Special Conference which, in my view, intends to abolish Equity as a professional association altogether as well as new restrictions to make it practically impossible for an ordinary member to call for a meeting of other ordinary members. There are also now plans being considered by council which would seek to allow those who are unwilling to accept a professional fee or even be willing to pay an employer to perform to be allowed to be accepted into membership. These are the very people Equity was set up to keep out in 1930.

I have congratulated Graham on his election at long last and sincerely wish him well in facing up to the bigger challenge that is now before him.

Michael Earl

Vice chair Equity Walk On and Supporting Artist Committee

Vice chair London Area Committee

Highgate Road

London NW5