But I have a different take on this issue. Although supporting this was a hard one for me to do, I really understand the notion of not making dues mandatory. For me the comments by Tony Gill making sure contributing to the party makes sense in the first place has some resonance. Why should someone value having the party being able to follow up on its positions in the context of the Convention is a fair question. What the party stands for and does the rank and file party member feel that their association with the party is a good one has been assumed. But this is not necessarily the case. As party official part of our functions has been to make this point a reality than a mere assumption.

In my opinion, the party needs money and other resources. But we should be looking at the party membership with more accepting eyes than more judgmental eyes.