I understand that there is a point of view that, since there are an infinite number of numbers it follows that there are an infinite number of realities.
If this is so then there must be a universe in which the London Regional Committee of UNISON, which met this morning, makes sense.
Mathematically, there must be a reality in which a Committee which doesn't care that it has failed to organise a quorate Regional Council (other than its AGM) since 2005 is nevertheless a paragon of labour movement virtue.
In this universe however, a Regional Committee the leadership of which is happy not to have a functioning Regional Council, is a sorry creature.
We need effective and vigorous unity to confront the attacks from the Coalition Government. Such unity cannot be built on the basis of dereliction of duty such as that shown by our Regional Committee, which has failed to arrange a quorate Regional Council (other than an AGM) in eight years.
Trade union democracy - which requires well attended decisionmaking meetings - is not an "optional extra". It is essential to an effective response to austerity and to the defence of workers' interests more generally.
Given the infinite possibilities of the "multiverse" there must remain hope that the Regional Committee will rise to this potential occasion and ensure a quorate Regional Council after this year's AGM.
Or perhaps not.
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4 comments:
hi jon. do you think that the proportionality rules could have anything to do with this with branches under pressure from all directions not having the resource required to encourage and mobilise a female activist base, but rules which require proportional delegations or no delegates at all? in one of those ideal universes you mention we would mobilise our female members successfully; in the current one we live in we aren't and the rules appear to frustrate activism, which needs nurturing and sustaining whatever its gender. what do you think? am i sexist pig for mentioning this? or just mistaken? we have inquorate regional meetings in our region too btw. cheers dan
its the members that fail to turn up!
I deleted a duplicate comment above just now. I don't think that proportionality ought to be an insurmountable obstacle to holding meetings that are not inquorate.
I also agree, of course, that a meeting is inquorate when not enough members turn up. That's not really the nub of the issue.
The question is whether those in positions of authority to provide leadership want members to turn up or not.
If elected leaders want a quorate meeting they can at least try to get one. They may try and fail (we've all done that).
The position in UNISON's Greater London Region is that the elected and appointed leadership of the Region are visibly content that we have no quorate meetings of the Regional Council.
I find that irritating.
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