[ivfdf-news] Request for Member societies to identify their voting members - and Deferral of VOTE

Cait Leach cait.leach at ntlworld.com
Thu May 24 11:16:29 BST 2007


Hi Richard.

Yes, Sheffield Ceilidhsoc do want to vote for themselves which is why yesterday afternoon at 4.23 I sent the following email to the email address that Ian Thompson specified:

"Hi, apologies for the delay- exams are in full swing at the moment and little else gets past the work filter.. Voting reps for Ceilidhsoc are cait.leach at ntlworld.com and ceilidh.soc at shef.ac.uk (our secretary Lucy)."

Apologies for having to make such a point out of this, but I feel some comments are unnecessary.

Caitriona


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Richard Mason 
  To: ivfdf-news at ivfdf.org 
  Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 10:02 AM
  Subject: Re: [ivfdf-news] Request for Member societies to identify their voting members - and Deferral of VOTE


  Hi all,

  I can't believe that after all the emails we only have two societies who have put forward voting members by the deadline, and that we have to delay the vote. I am sorry, but that is woeful.... and Sheffield, don't you want to vote for yourselves?

  Please bear in mind that currently the situation is that Sheffield have not been confirmed as hosts of IVFDF 2008, and that unless they do get confirmed, or someone else offers and is confirmed, there will be no official IVFDF in 2008.  So if you want something to do next year, then get yourselves registered!!!

  Since (by and large) member societies have probably had a change in committee since IVFDF this year, possibly to people who have never been to a Reps meeting, and so that people are not voting in a vacuum, it might be useful to have some guidelines on what the criteria are for voting for or against a particular proposal. 

  Andrew, as constitution guru, could you summarise what the constitution actually says on the matter (if anything).

  My personal take on it, from having been involved for a while, is as follows:

  1) A group should be approved as hosts for the festival if they have demonstrated their ability to organise it.  

  This will include (as a minimum)

  a) Booking suitable venues

  b) Booking bands

  c) Producing a balanced budget

  d) Producing an advertising plan.

  2) Underwriting can be applied for by the organising committee, to protect themselves from losses that are outside their control (ie major snowfall stops anyone getting there, or main band pulling out due to injury as recently happened).  To be granted underwriting, a committee is expected to have made 'all its best efforts' to avoid losses.  This is a bit of a woolly phrase, but its meant to mean that if a committee enters into a festival ignoring a forseeable risk and gets caught by it, then that would not be 'best efforts'.  Such risks in the past have included, not getting firm bookings on venues/bands/etc, not advertising the festival, or most famously guaranteeing food sales to a university.



  I am sure that others will correct me if I have interpreted the situation incorrectly.  There should be no reason now for people not to get registered and vote.  

  If you still feel that you are lacking information, either on Sheffield's plans, or on what is expected of you as a member society, then please do send a message to the list - because there are probably others feeling the same.

  Lets get this situation resolved one way or the other....! 






   

    ========================================
    Message Received: May 24 2007, 12:13 AM
    From: "Ian Thompson" 
    To: ivfdf-news at ivfdf.org
    Cc: 
    Subject: [ivfdf-news] Request for Member societies to identify their voting members - and Deferral of VOTE

    OK folks it is now after 11:55pm on the last day 
    of the 3 week notice period. Anyone claiming that 
    they didn't know this was coming ... should have 
    read the e-mail I sent 3 weeks ago!

    To date I have received notification of 
    representatives from 2 (two) member societies .

    Exeter Folk Soc
    Gog Magog

    I am still waiting for named representatives from 
    the following groups who were at IVFDF Reps Meeting in 2007 or 2006
    Sheffield Folk Soc
    New Scotland SCDS
    Glasgow Uni SCDS
    Warwick Folk Soc
    Cambridge Strathspey and Reel Club
    Cambridge Round
    Durham Folk Soc
    Rag Moris Bristol
    Aberdeen University SCDS

    As I don't have a quorum of representatives I 
    cannot start a vote. Having considered the 
    constitutional situation I have made an executive 
    decision to take the following pragmatic action. 
    I will delay the vote itself by 5 days. This should allow the following: -

    1) During the next 5 days can I request that EACH 
    (member) society sends the names and valid e-mail 
    addresses for their 2 voting members to 
    ivfdf-reps at ianthompson.me.uk [this will enable me 
    to stream mail appropriately]. If your society is 
    unable to pick 2 people in this time scale please 
    at least e-mail me so I know you exist.

    2) slightly more time for relevant information to 
    be received by those voting. [see separate message]

    I would however wish to point out that the 2008 
    organising committee have had 3 weeks notice that 
    this deadline was due and should have provided 
    information to both the list ivfdf-news and their 
    advisors to allow the advisors to make a suitable 
    considered response. When voting, representatives 
    should bear this fact in mind before making their 
    decisions as I feel it is a practical 
    demonstration of the 2008 committees ability to meet deadlines.

    So the new schedule is as follows

    * Now until 23:59 on the 28th May - societies to 
    notify me of their voting members.
    * 00:00 29th May to 23:59 4th June Poll are open for voting.
    * 00:00 5th June to 23:59 11th June dispute period.
    * Final result out 12th June (birthday gift to 
    myself - it will hopefully all be over)

    In response to Alison's question about the amount 
    of underwriting - constitutionally only Sheffield 
    can alter the proposal, so only they can reduce 
    or increase the amount. The deadline for that has 
    now passed. All that remains now is for 
    representatives to vote on whether they feel that 
    2008/Sheffield have provided enough information 
    to justify their request for up to £1000 of 
    underwriting should their festival fail to make the profit they predict.

    Representatives (and advisors) can only make this 
    decision (and provide a their reports to 
    representatives) on information available to 
    them. If they feel that they do not have the 
    information they need to support the request then 
    they should vote accordingly.

    Regards

    Ian






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