Decisions, decisions...

I haven't blogged for a while because instead of being pre-occupied with one main thread, the MC has had a lot on the go at once - so it hasn't been so easy to muse on any particular issue here.  We've also had entries and nominations coming in for the GCWC this July and the Under 21s that precedes it, which take some sorting out and chasing of photos, biographies, entry fees etc. for the players.

The big consultation on events we sent out a month ago is beginning to get well-considered responses now - and a couple of Members have asked for more time, which I had always suspected would happen.  We've also just sent out the second of these major consultations we had planned - this one on how to improve WCF decision-making.  Our statutes say the WCF is controlled by its Members.  But the existing postal-voting system, with 60 days notice required and 40 days for an amendment, doesn't really help the Members exercise this control.  What has sometimes happened with complex issues is that votes have happened at Council meetings, without a great deal of talking between Members before the meeting and with some of the key players not being present in Council.  The outcomes haven't always suited everyone.

So we thought it important to find a model where the Members talk to each other,  and where proposals develop and are brought to a vote in a series of discussion cycles.  Luckily, ubiquitous email makes this possible - and didn't of course exist when the Statutes were drafted.  The MC's proposal is to manage, for the Members, an email discussion system which would develop proposals over typically 3 cycles: 1) kick the idea around and get people's views, 2) come up with a reasonable proposal and get comments on that, then 3) vote on the revised proposal.  You can flex the number of cycles depending on the maturity of the issue and how quickly agreement is reached. 

This is essentially how the MC now operates. The MC operates on 1 week cycles, but we'll probably need 3 weeks or so for Council, because many Members have International Committees or Executives who will need to consider the proposals and agree their responses. 

I hope the Members go for this proposal, as it really will put control into their hands.