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Central London Europe Group is the local branch of the
European Movement
covering Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and the City.
CLEG's task, within these inner London boroughs in particular, is
to promote and maintain public interest in and understanding of Europe
- an objective we recognise as more challenging than at any time in CLEG's
history.
CLEG was founded in 1987 through a merger of three EM branches (with very
distinct traditions) previously covering what had become London Central
Euro-constituency - Camden in Europe, Kensington and Chelsea for Europe, and
Westminster for Europe. A further branch operated in Hammersmith and Fulham
in the 1970s. All these were founded during or in the wake of the referendum
campaign of 1975.
So as to ensure local credibility, our statutes require that all the
constituent boroughs of our core area be represented on the branch committee.
CLEG still takes as our core territory Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham,
Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster and the City. We see it as part
of our role, however, to encourage branch development in any other parts of
London where there is none at present.
We are, of course, politically non-partisan - and draw support from
members of all parties and of none.
CLEG works closely with the
European Movement
to achieve our common objectives; but have our own identity, concerns and
especially
local community
focus over and above that. We also seek to develop, because of their networking
potential, to develop relations with the
local business community.
From the outset, we have sought to provide a regular programme of
high-profile speaker
events in central locations.
Forthcoming events are set out in our
diary.
More recently, we have also developed working relations with counterpart EM
sections elsewhere in Europe through the
Eurocapitales network.
Of at least equal priority, however, (and especially now) is to develop
our campaigning dimension.
Informing - and securing feedback from - the public on European issues is
a service we propose to develop systematically for the first time, through
this site. On the contacts
page we set out members of the CLEG equipped and willing to field questions by
e-mail. Please test out the service!
Balancing all these requirements whilst building a more substantial
membership
base representative of our area constitute current key priorities.
What can be achieved through CLEG depends on the time and commitment
supporters and activists can provide. There is far more to be done
than a small team of
officers and committee
can hope to sustain by their own efforts alone. Therefore, we welcome and can find
useful and important roles for anyone interested in supporting our work.
In the following pages we spell out the various facets of CLEG's work -
and give contacts for each. For general enquiries please contact CLEG
chairman Áine McGuire.
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