Nominations to Royal Commission on the OrgLaw

[Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă]

Nov 1, 2015 15:13:28 GMT -6 Sir Alexandreu Davinescu said:

But, as I've said before on this sort of thing, it's your funeral.

This is uncalled for Sir Alexandreu and an insult to the good people appointed to serve on this commission.

[Sir Alexandreu Davinescu]

Er... that seems a little extreme. "It's your funeral" is a colloquialism used to indicate that I think something is probably a bad idea, and that there could be unfortunate consequences from a decision. It does not mean that I want to kill you or... I'm not sure what you thought?

You guys do what you want, I guess. Sorry if you took offense, Txec, but really none was intended.

[Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă]

Nov 1, 2015 17:03:57 GMT -6 Sir Alexandreu Davinescu said:

Er... that seems a little extreme. "It's your funeral" is a colloquialism used to indicate that I think something is probably a bad idea, and that there could be unfortunate consequences from a decision. It does not mean that I want to kill you or... I'm not sure what you thought?

You guys do what you want, I guess. Sorry if you took offense, Txec, but really none was intended.

I understood perfectly what you meant and fully understand the idiom. There really is no need to patronize me to explain an idiom to me as both of us are English teachers and both of us understand it.

My offense was taken in the scolding way you criticize this commission before it has even had an opportunity to meet and how you turn around and attempt to create a dueling commission/committee to do the exact same thing (or nearly the same). In our small country, it is often difficult to get one body of people to work right but you think it a good idea to create a second one and then scold the first one. Is it just because Dame Miestra is involved that you feel the scorn rising from your soul? Do you not trust that people like myself and Dame Litz (both Justices of the UC) and Sir Cresti will be level-headed enough to not tear the entire country apart from stem to stern?

[Sir Alexandreu Davinescu]

It's definitely possible for an English teacher not to know an idiom. I stumble over things like that all the time, believe me! So I wasn't trying to patronize... I was just trying to explain that a funereal idiom wasn't meant as any sort of threat or something. Ordinarily I wouldn't do that, but I was startled by the vehemence of your response.

Txec, the only reason I said anything was that I saw Miestra proposing to start setting an agenda, electing a chair, and so on, even though nothing was confirmed. As I said, I'm not on the Commission so it's the only time I was going to butt in and say anything -- then you guys can go to your own devices. But Ian seemed to agree, and I happened to be online, and so I thought I'd put in a quick word to stop the ball from getting started rolling. As I learned from the Tuischac'h election, it's probably smarter to speak a word of warning early on. If I had done so in that instance, then we might not be in that pickle, either.

I'm not going to apologize for creating a different committee when I was unsatisfied with the way this one was shaping up. I think one look at the proceedings of that committee will show its value, since in the time between then and now, we've already come up with nearly a finished bill -- and because Ian is serving on both! Kind of proof positive that there's no "dueling" necessary. And as I've said before several times, I wish the Royal Commission nothing but the best of luck -- I hope that it improves the Organic Law and serves our citizens well.

Anyway, it's your guys' business, so I'll let you get to it. I'm sure you guys will work competently and quickly and turn out a report achieved with broad and careful agreement. I won't butt in again, lest pearls be clutched and I be accused of monstrous Machiavellian manipulations.

[Ian Plätschisch]

What if I appoint myself liaison between the two committees? Would people stop accusing the Standing Committee of trying to sandbag the Commission?

I didn't think I took any side with my previous post, it was just a technical question.

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

Oh, I've never accused all members of the Ziu Committee of trying to sandbag the Royal Commission. But what do you think on the substantive issue, viz., informal discussion among the 5 (out of 7-9) Commissioners appointed so far as to a Chair, agenda, method of work?

[Ian Plätschisch]

Nov 1, 2015 18:23:19 GMT -6 Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN said:

Oh, I've never accused all members of the Ziu Committee of trying to sandbag the Royal Commission.

Well, I'm glad you feel that way. I have no need for another position! Just so long as we take the proposals of the Committee into account, it shouldn't matter much how you feel about the people who compose the Committee.

But what do you think on the substantive issue, viz., informal discussion among the 5 (out of 7-9) Commissioners appointed so far as to a Chair, agenda, method of work?

I not against it per se, but we do run the risk of excluding what the others have to say for the sake of expediency ("Well, we already have an agenda set up, so it would be a waste of time to change it now").  As far as picking a chair, we again risk proceeding without knowledge of the entire (indeed, almost half!) composition; but given we already have an absolute majority, we could technically choose one if we were unanimous (we would already have a majority no matter how the other members would vote).

However, I think that Commission business should take place in a different thread, given that this thread has a clear purpose (and the purpose is not to conduct most types of Commission business).

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

We can speed this up, of course. The RUMP nominees have insight into the thinking of the King, whereas he doesn't even reply to my emails/PMs. Sir C. M. Siervicül, Dame Litz Cjantscheir, UrN, can you ask His Majesty for a timetable to completing the appointments?

[Sir C. M. Siervicül]

Nov 2, 2015 12:20:15 GMT -6 Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN said:

lcan you ask His Majesty for a timetable to completing the appointments?

I'll see what I can do.

[King John]

Hanging my head in well-deserved shame for having taken so ridiculously long to get to this, and thanking Dame Miestra, Sir Cresti, and Sir Alexandreu for their prodding me to get me moving ... here I am. I had a couple of people I would have liked to see serving on the Commission turn me down, but both Prince Patrick (who is now back from his honeymoon) and S:reu Ieremiac'h Ventrutx have agreed to serve. So I hereby nominate them, and apologise for spinning this out far beyond the limits of anything excusable by Talossan time travel.

Further, I confirm the nominations of those named in this thread as being the nominees of the various parties. Is there anything else I need to do to get the Commission rolling?

Is it the general feeling that the Commission has sufficient time to do its work? If we need to extend their deadlines, I suppose the easiest way would be by PD?

— John R

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

Thank you very, very much for getting around to this, King John.

Can I just point out three since both TSP MCs have dropped out of contention, I assume that means that Nicholas Hayes will be the "cross-bench" nomination?

So that makes the complete Commission: Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă, Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN, Ian Plätschisch, Sir C. M. Siervicül, Dame Litz Cjantscheir, UrN, Nicholas Hayes (?), Prince Patrick and Ieremiac'h Ventrutx, unless anything happens late.

Can I ask that within the next 24 hours all these members express a preference for how we'll carry out our discussions? Email list, Wittenberg thread, Wittenberg PM, a different FreeBoards forum? We'll want to elect officers (chair, secretary, whatever) and create an agenda. Also let me know if you want an extension to the Feb 1 deadline, and if so, how long.

[Ian Plätschisch]

Preferably a thread, that makes for the most transparency. Definitely not an email list, they are rather clunky when in a big group.

[Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă]

A thread makes sense to me as well.

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

Txec, Ián, would one of you like to set the thread up? I don't want to give any credence to the popular rumours that this is "my" Commission.

[Ian Plätschisch]

Nov 29, 2015 18:29:07 GMT -6 Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN said:

Txec, Ián, would one of you like to set the thread up? I don't want to give any credence to the popular rumours that this is "my" Commission.

Done