On Wed, Feb 6, 2013 at 4:48 PM, HJ Mitchell <[email protected]> wrote:

> Tom,
>
> I've a lot of respect for you, and I usually agree with you. In fact, I
> mostly agree with you on this issue - I would like to see the report
> published sooner rather than later because even if it is absolutely
> damning, it is in the charity's best interests to publish it and be seen to
> be addressing the issues raised in it.
>
> However, it is not your decision (or mine) to make, and there is more at
> stake here than a delay in the membership being able to hold the board to
> account. In the worst case scenario, potentially people's jobs, WMUK's
> chapter status, and the UK community's relations with the WMF and the wider
> movement are at risk. Thus, it is understandable that Jon and the board
> might want some time to work out what they're going to do about it before
> they are lambasted for the failings (to use your word) that are being
> reported on.
>
> Taking that into account, please moderate your tone. This is a public
> mailing list and people don't want their inboxes filled with your
> diatribes, and directing those diatribes at members of staff who work very
> hard in the name of this charity and are limited in what they can say in
> response by standards of professionalism and decency is unlikely to achieve
> the result you desire and risks damaging the charity even further than the
> actions you are complaining about.
>
> Harry Mitchell
> http://enwp.org/User:HJ
> Phone: 024 7698 0977
> Skype: harry_j_mitchell
>
>

Speaking just for myself, I was actually enjoying Thomas' posts, rather
than resenting them filling up my inbox.

Yours, on the other hand, I did resent: for its glib pomposity.

Regards,
Andreas





>   ------------------------------
> *From:* Thomas Dalton <[email protected]>
> *To:* UK Wikimedia mailing list <[email protected]>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, 6 February 2013, 12:35
> *Subject:* Re: [Wikimediauk-l] Governance review
>
> On 6 February 2013 12:23, Stevie Benton <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> > Tom, I don't see where anyone is making excuses.
>
> Try reading this email thread... To use the Wiktionary definition, an
> excuse is "an explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or
> negative judgment".
>
> In a statement of the form "We are (not) doing X because of Y" we call
> Y an "excuse".
>
> > As your previous email acknowledges, the review was co-commissioned by
> > Wikimedia UK and the Wikimedia Foundation. We are discussing the review
> with
> > the Foundation and are in the process of preparing a response. This
> response
> > needs to be co-ordinated on both sides, discussed, and consensus reached.
> > This doesn't happen immediately. Please do be assured that we are in
> regular
> > contact with the WMF on this issue, as they are with us.
>
> As I have explained repeatedly, you do not need to discuss a response.
> The response should simply say that we are now going to have an open
> discussion with the community and decide where we go from here, and
> you could have written that months ago. Or have you already decided
> that you don't care what the community thinks and are just going to
> make all the decisions about how to respond yourselves?
>
> > One other important point I want to address from your email below, too.
> You
> > say "co-commissioned a report into your own failings". This is
> inaccurate as
> > there are plenty of things that we do well that the report will also look
> > at.
>
> Well, yes, I would hope you haven't failed at everything. The review
> was commissioned to look at your failings, though. Obviously, to work
> out what your failings are, it will have looked at things that turned
> out to be fine. Trying to deny that this is about your failings is
> disingenuous.
>
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>
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