Committees.

[Hazell B]

I'm off to a local residents' meeting soon. It's a thing the council, police, assorted committees and groups have all organised to try and get local areas together to talk about and learn of various topics and policies.

For example, somebody has built gates shutting off a commonly used walkway that isn't really for general use, so tonight's meeting will no doubt be taken up by arguments about it. You get the picture. It's thrilling stuff :rolleyes:

Anyway, my point is that over half of the regular people who'll be at the meeting are either selfish ("It doesn't benefit me, so ban it!") types or morons who can't work out that walking one way around a house is the same distance as walking the other way around it ("us old folk can't go the extra yard"). The few of us that think before speaking just get shouted down by thickees who can't understand what we're saying :mark:

Anyone else on any committees?

For the record, I've been on fun ones, too. Ones with parties, beer, days out and some bloody good perks :up:

[Mark in Oshawa]

I'm off to a local residents' meeting soon. It's a thing the council, police, assorted committees and groups have all organised to try and get local areas together to talk about and learn of various topics and policies.

For example, somebody has built gates shutting off a commonly used walkway that isn't really for general use, so tonight's meeting will no doubt be taken up by arguments about it. You get the picture. It's thrilling stuff :rolleyes:

Anyway, my point is that over half of the regular people who'll be at the meeting are either selfish ("It doesn't benefit me, so ban it!") types or morons who can't work out that walking one way around a house is the same distance as walking the other way around it ("us old folk can't go the extra yard"). The few of us that think before speaking just get shouted down by thickees who can't understand what we're saying :mark:

Anyone else on any committees?

For the record, I've been on fun ones, too. Ones with parties, beer, days out and some bloody good perks :up:

Committee's. Politics burned down to the last ounce. Gotta love em. Reminds me of the meetings I used to go to as a Chief Timekeeper with CASC (Canadian Automotive Sport Clubs - our version of the RAC or SCCA) and listen to endless debate of people arguing over stuff that was so arcane, I think they even forgot what they were trying to do...

Brock Yates described it best when describing the politics of SCCA club guys at Watkins Glen in the 70's. One year someone decides after a truck backs into a pole in the garage area, that someone should guard the pole. You come back next year, they will have a committee of people to determine who is guarding the pole, is he qualified, and a budget is being asked for to ensure that the committee in charge of guarding the pole can acquire equipiment necessary to guard the pole.

You have local level politics and committees in most of the civilized world, and your realize just how tedious poltics must really be at the macro level where people actually aspire to higher office. Is it a wonder that anything ever gets done?

[Mark in Oshawa]

For the record Hazell...I love your tag line "Invade Jersey"

[Easy Drifter]

When I was a Director of CRDA we ran the GP and Can Am races plus other pro races. We would have excutive meeting, sometimes with the Mosport track owners. Things were decided in at the most 2 hours.
Then there would be Race Committee meetings. 3 to 4 hours of wrangling.
I was secretary to both. Actual minutes, eliminating bafflegarb, for race committee meetings were often shorter than the exuctive minutes and the executive discussed more than just an upcoming race.
In reality the decisions were made by the executive plus a couple of people from the race committee and the main group meetings just window dressing.

[Eki]

In Los Angeles and Hollywood area I saw a lot of signs saying "Neighborhood watch. Armed response." I'd bet Fousto is in one of those.

[veeten]

I happen to know some members of the 'itty-bitty t!tty committee'... ;) :p :

[Drew]

Aren't they just full of power mad people that couldn't be (bothered to be) policemen / politicians? Sounds like the kind of thing I'd stay a million miles away from :p :

[raybak]

I've been on the car club committee, also been President and in a few senior roles.

This year taken a bit of a gap year, just competing. May get back into it next year if elected.

What peeves me off is when people who aren't on the committee complain about how things are being run yet all the committee positions were unopposed at the AGM. If you are prepared to complain you need to back it up with standing for a position at the next AGM.

Ray

[Mark in Oshawa]

I've been on the car club committee, also been President and in a few senior roles.

This year taken a bit of a gap year, just competing. May get back into it next year if elected.

What peeves me off is when people who aren't on the committee complain about how things are being run yet all the committee positions were unopposed at the AGM. If you are prepared to complain you need to back it up with standing for a position at the next AGM.

Ray

That's my take on small groups with committees. Found that all the time when I was on the executive of the Canadian Timing Association. We had 2 members who never ran and were nominated a number of times with their declining, but they were always yapping about how dumb we were......

[Mark]

I think much of the time they get scewed away from the general consensus as most people can't be bothered, and the only ones who are there are those who hold extreme viewpoints, and like a good arugment (your typcial forum member is an example :p )

[Donney]

One of the many quotes attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte is something along the lines of: "if you want something to not go ahead just name a committee"

[Easy Drifter]

I just hope Hazell didn't punch somebody out!!!! :D

[GridGirl]

At work we have a contract with the Audit Commission to carry out local authority audits or audits of parish councils. I've never had the misfortune to do any myself but part of the work involves reading the minutes of the meetings such as that Hazel has described. By all accounts if you've read about poor street lighting and Chavs hanging around the park at night once you have read it a million times.

I've read millions of board or committee meetings in my time and most are as boring as watching paint dry. My all time favourite was reading about how a particular football club had a player on loan and the player had been given the use of one of the clubs city center apartments. At the end of the season the loan spell had ended but the player would just not leave. After repeated letters and phone calls the minutes when on to describe how they had got a security company to break in and change the locks. His belongings were put in black bags and left on the doorstep outside.

I once also read in one set of minutes how one of the board members collapsed during the meeting and there was a graphic description of their attempts to revive him and what the paramedics did when they arrived. Poor guy died in hospital later.

The minutes of Churches make me smile as they always close with a prayer. :)

[schmenke]

A few months ago the missus was a member on the naming committee for the new elementary school being constructed in our suburb, Panorama Hills. After many suggestions the committee agreed upon the "Panorama Hills Elementary School" :mark:

[Hazell B]

For the record Hazell...I love your tag line "Invade Jersey"


It's a Mark Thomas quote to do with tax dodgers.
Funny and educational, our Mark :p :

Anyway, I gave in listening after a non-reading fairground ride owner with a wife who "fell down stairs and got a blackeye" every two or three weeks was voted to be vice chair at the next meeting.

[driveace]

In my eyes the people who go to commitee meetings are short of something to do.
I say Get a life !!!!!
Aint you got nothing better to do ?

[schmenke]

In my eyes the people who go to commitee meetings are short of something to do.
I say Get a life !!!!!
Aint you got nothing better to do ?

Hmm... so being a member on the parents' committee of our local school in an effort to ensure a better education for the neighbourhood kids is a waste of time? :mark:

[Hazell B]

In my eyes the people who go to commitee meetings are short of something to do.
I say Get a life !!!!!
Aint you got nothing better to do ?

I've got a life thank you. I bet it's a damned sight fuller than yours, too ;)

Without committees you'd have no local police on the beat, decent education or reasonable social care ... so I say they're pretty vital Driveace. Committees are the broom up the backside of councils and officialdom all over the UK. If nobody keeps at the paper pushers, nothing tends to get done at all.

[driveace]

Got you going again Hazell !!!!
So nothing ever gets done anywhere unless a commitee is behind it then?
And if school results show that a school is failing the education authority will soon pick up on that,as parents will not want to send their children there !
My life is Full,,rich,happy,healthy,educated,enjoyable AND I dont have to work either!

[BDunnell]

In my eyes the people who go to commitee meetings are short of something to do.
I say Get a life !!!!!
Aint you got nothing better to do ?

If that's supposed to be funny, it really isn't, I'm afraid. Are they short of something to do, or are they the only people who can be bothered to do something?

This doesn't mean to say they are perfect, of course. One problem is the basic competence of a lot of people, which isn't often sufficient to merit their being in any position to influence decisions.

[schmenke]

...
My life is ...educated...

You sure about that? :s

[schmenke]

...
And if school results show that a school is failing the education authority will soon pick up on that...

driveace, the parents are the education authority.

[driveace]

YES ! Cant get any more certificates on the wall in my office !
So the parents dictate all that happens at schools then ?
In England lots of parents cannot get their children into the school of their choice,so they a) Buy a house in that schools catchment area OR b) Have to take them to another school which is not their chosen school.
Maybe in Canada you dont have that problem !

[Drew]

YES ! Cant get any more certificates on the wall in my office !
So the parents dictate all that happens at schools then ?
In England lots of parents cannot get their children into the school of their choice,so they a) Buy a house in that schools catchment area OR b) Have to take them to another school which is not their chosen school.
Maybe in Canada you dont have that problem !

Also my school's association was both times "the friends of the school" who were essentially busybodies sticking their nose in. Having said that, they had no real power, again maybe it's different in Canada :)

[BDunnell]

YES ! Cant get any more certificates on the wall in my office !
So the parents dictate all that happens at schools then ?
In England lots of parents cannot get their children into the school of their choice,so they a) Buy a house in that schools catchment area OR b) Have to take them to another school which is not their chosen school.
Maybe in Canada you dont have that problem !

Define 'lots of parents'.

[Hazell B]

Cant get any more certificates on the wall in my office


So you're office is very small, then :laugh: