members update

[chris]

Re: members update

thank you Tim

[andycaneheadkemp]

Re: members update

well this is a sad state of affairs.i was in the process of renewing a lapsed membership and was to write an article for the magazine,requeested by sue,about new bodywork i made for my roadster,now i see this situation.....people,move with the times,wake up and smell the coffee..any club is only as strong as the members it has and the services provided.to survive you must,must,get new members,and keep up with changes in society/technology.i am now forced to reconsider my membership application,and that is a shame,i only want to speak to like minded people and share advice and experiences,but the political machinations that are clearly going on put me off.stick in the mud=no new members=death of club.consider your next move VERY carefully my friends or you may find you have imploded.

[dogoncrazy]

Re: members update

While we as the members undoubtably deserved a explanation I'm frankly disappointed to find that the rift that existed between some committee members over the proposed new website has ended up in the public domain. Any chance of attracting members to the club must surely now be in question and considering that the purpose of spending some of the finances that existed was for that sole purpose maybe that wasn't the wisest decision in hindsight.
Morally you should stick to any agreed majority decision .

[stevejgreen]

Re: members update

It is inevitable that a public forum is used by the membership to air their opinions. Less than 30% of the membership attends MOC events or AGM, the only other public outlet. All other democratic institutions from the Government down deal with the same situation.
In the past, the committee has reacted to similar instances by acting dictatorially and deleting complete threads from the forum. This removes members valid opinions from the public record and censors the voice of the members. Not the actions of a democratic club.
I refer you to a comment in my post of 30th Jul 11, 22:02
The Chairman has acted autocratically beyond his remit. He has now taken on the responsibility of producing the new Website/forum despite having no experience in the field. He is assisted by someone who was technically unable to email me the club accounts, finally resorting to snailmail.
Added to this he has accepted the responsibility to produce three copies of Pitstop before the New year.
I cannot see too many volunteers stepping up to project manage, since they risk instant dismissal if they do not satisfy the mood of the remaining committee. Perhaps only the Cumbrian Mafia and those whose position is at risk will stand by the Chairman.

[chris_cussen]

Re: members update

Don't think I'll bother to renew my membership next year. I don't think I can be a member of a club that treats two of its hardworking, stalwart, long term and enthusiastic members so shabbily.

[donsayers]

Re: members update

I think that all committee minutes and correspondence should be posted online, so that the democratic process is transparent and so that we can all see who says and thinks what.

[Mike]

Re: members update

I would like to add my support to Don's request above, as it is not clear why there has been such a sharp falling out between committee members.
I would also like to voice my support for Sue to be reinstated as Editor as soon as possible, as she has undoubtedly performed fantastically in a voluntary position for so many years.

[donsayers]

Re: members update

Hear, hear!

[robcawte]

Re: members update

All
I would like to make it clear that this is not a personal thing. I like Lee and Brian and do not wish for them to leave the committee. I would ask all the people that have posted about committee members considering their positions, to stop and think first, and all of you that stated you will not renew your membership to think again. It sounds mad to say, but we are still the same people and this is a good club to belong to. This debate has been manly about a new web site, but there is a wider issue about the running of the club. For many years this club has been run in a autocratic manner, and nobody said anything. In my first committee meeting Brian gave me a short lecture, in that lecture he used the words “ nothing happens in this committee without my say so “ My aim is to put the power base back in the committee, as Brian is working outside of the clubs constitution. Every club goes through these times , it is madness to just give up and leave because a club is going through a change. And if you want more food for thought read a couple of pages of Hunter Mutter in the front of or mags, then read the first post here, it will not take you long to work out someone else wrote the top post. The only trouble maker round here is me, the messenger is always shot.

[silver-back]

Re: members update

There seems to be an awful lot of finger pointing at the committee here, can we all just take a long hard look at everything these people in their own time for no pay do for a largely unresponsive membership.
okay so there has been a major stumble over a new website but are we as a membership going to let this ruin a great car club?
Surely its time to stand behind those willing to drive the club forward in a poor time for this kind of organization.

This years stoneleigh and A.G.M was woeful not because of a poor show or poor committee but because no one bothered to turn up if the membership shows no interest in the club or how it is administered what is the point?

[antony.penn]

Re: members update

Hi all. I am the original web designer for this site. When Sue and I started this site just over 8 years ago, I wanted to bring to your club a forum and up-to-the-minute classifieds, amongst many other features. I was prepared to do it cheaply, part as a favour to my friend Sue and part to help build a portfolio of work.

Unfortunately from day 1 this was met with resistance from the committee, who did not want (for example) to put some members who did not have computers at a disadvantage when it came to things like the classifieds, which is why you still have to wait for the magazine to come out before you can see them. This is pure craziness in this day and age.

Ever since 2003 I have been trying to provide what services I can, on a shoestring budget, often done on the back of my friendship with Sue and a few beers. You may not think its that great, but it was done with a tenth of the money it warranted.

After a full year of assisting Sue battle the committee to upgrade the website properly, naturally my tender for the work, together with all the years of free work i've done, were given zero consideration. In fact it was during the tendering process that I withdrew from the process anyway, as I could not deal with the antiquated, disinterested committee, who, in my humble opinion, do not hold the MOC's greater interest at heart.

I am very sad for Sue and your club at the moment, you deserve better treatment. I do wonder if that 13k is still in the MOC bank account and this is all delay tactics!

It is time for a rebirth of the club, for everyone to air their issues and for those nominated to move the club (finally) in to the 21st century. Do not leave the club, but please, stop living in the past!

I have seen the forum here come to life over the years. It can and should be a valuable resource to MOC, and a lot more can be done with it, if only the people in charge would act for the greater good.

[stevejgreen]

Re: members update

Firstly I would like to thank Tony for his unpaid efforts over the years. I have been aware of Tony’s background presence for a while as I tracked him through internet links.

Tony makes some valuable points, this forum has become the life blood of the MOC and like many Car Clubs has benefitted from its presence. It is now very noticeable just how far behind the times it really is and the loss of two advocates from the committee can only result in the club having at best a second rate version as the detractors now hold the majority in the committee.

To refer to a previous post, it is the committee who have demonstrated no respect for the unpaid efforts of Sue and Bob. The membership has shown here the massive support they have for Sue and Bob’s efforts and their displeasure at the autocratic, unconstitutional, actions of the Chairman.

A few days ago I suggested to the committee the inception of a new annual award to be presented annually at the AGM.
The award is for those who have contributed most to the MOC in terms of time and effort and all those intangible characteristics that make someone a ‘good egg’.

The recipient can be from any area of the club including the Committee and will be democratically voted for by the Ordinary Members of the MOC specifically excluding any current Committee Members.

The award is to be known as the Roedel-Cawte Cup.

I would like to propose Tony Penn as the first recipient.

[cdow]

Re: members update

Hear, hear Tony, Steve.

This is not a complicated of difficult problem. The committee has a majority of luddites who are not going to change. The end.

They do not recognise that most working people are unable to attend AGMs or shows, and the website is the NUMBER ONE priority. If anyone is struggling with a computer these days then they probably shouldn’t be driving either.

[silver-back]

Re: members update

lets see a show of hands for new committee members then !!!

[djj_engineer]

Re: members update

Do you have to be a MOC member to take part in a show of hands, Cos it seems that the proposal for the 1st recipient of the 'Roedel-Cawte cup isn't.