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SECOND CALL FOR VOTES (OF 2)

Proposed scot.* Committee

Votes must be received by 23:59:59 GMT, Friday 25th Dec 1998.

Contact the votetaker at adickson@stirmargrev.demon.co.uk with any queries
about the vote.

RATIONALE:

This vote follows discussion on the formation of a committee to manage the
scot.* hierarchy.  The result of a vote on the principle was published on
8th Dec. in message <m367bnvsi1.fsf@gododdin.jasmine.org.uk>. 

Subsequently a procedure for this election to form the committee was
developed and published in scot.announce and scot.general. See article
<OAbqxCAbTLe2EwBQ@stirmargrev.demon.co.uk>.

Eight people have announced themselves as candidates for the seven places
on the committee.  

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CANDIDATES' STATEMENTS

1.      Simon Brooke
        simon [jasmine,org,uk]

I'm Simon Brooke, 43, self-employed Internet consultant based in
Auchencairn, Galloway; I've been using Usenet since 1985. I am a
card-carrying member of the SNP, and see the development of the scot.*
hierarchy as a natural part of the developing national consciousness
and self confidence of Scotland.

If elected I would attempt to maintain an open process in the
management of the hierarchy, and would wish to see the hierarchy
developing naturally and organically according to users needs, rather
than creating groups just because some other hierarchy has equivalent
groups.

2.      Craig Cockburn
        craig [scot,demon,co,uk]

I would also like to be a candidate although I see this as being
something of a helping hand role while the committee and procedures are
set up. Once these are established and things have settled down, I am
currently interested in taking more of a back seat and possibly standing
down at the first natural opportunity.

3.      Duncan Dewar
        duncanng2 [brandane,demon,co,uk]

My background is as a reader and occasional contributor to groups in
various hierarchies. While I have no experience of newsgroup control
issues, eg. PGP signing of headers, I have a working knowledge of
configuring mail and slave news servers (Mailtraq) under 32-bit
Windows.

More importantly (I feel) though, I am a Scot living on a Scottish
island (Bute) (address available on bona-fide request). I would like
to see a thriving, well-run news hierarchy for Scotland. This should
be run in an open, accountable manner, with just enough control to
keep it manageable and encourage its distribution.

4.      Neil Fernandez
        ncf [borve,demon,co,uk]

I live on Lewis and began using newsgroups in 1993. I have never belonged
to a political party (or masonic lodge), nor voted in local or general
elections. I wrote the Users' FAQ and Newsadmins' FAQ for the jerusalem.*
news hierarchy. I hold a PhD in political economy. 

If elected, I will strive to retain the committee as a users' committee
rather than a management committee. Its main role would be to expedite the
'orderly self-organisation' of users. This will involve the preparation of
detailed recommendations, especially regarding procedures for creating new
newsgroups, which should be as newcomer-friendly as possible. These would
be discussed and amended by the scot.* community, and whatever was decided
would be implemented. The committee should have little power, but rather
be a useful mechanism - establishing a formal basis for scot.*, and, as
time goes on, helping the users govern its overall lines of development.
With me on it, it would be open about any significant divisions. I would
resist its becoming a political football; and would oppose its being
empowered to block RFDs, overturn votes, co-opt members, or act on
objections received in secret.

By the end of 1999, I would expect there to be around 50 scot.* groups,
including on 5 or so thriving multi-group subhierarchies.

5.      David Marsh
        dm [bigfoot,com]

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