[r-t] Methods Committee proposed proposed changes

[John Harrison]

In article <cddcfdda-d799-05cc-5bb8-ba94f8e31b9a at snowtiger.net>,
   Mark Davies <mark at snowtiger.net> wrote:

> ...  you may be right in that we shouldn't be making some of these
> changes this year. However there was a feeling on the committee that we
> should do *something*.

If the Methods Committee had come to the Council several years ago and
offered to replace the Decisions with a new version in return for a couple
of years during which they would not patch the old ones, Council members
might have bought it.

But that's not what happened.  In 2014 we held back objections to the
latest patch hoping for some reform, and at the end of the meeting the
Methods Committee was instructed to present proposals for fundamental
reform by the autumn.  In the event, every year since then the Committee
made promises that were under-delivered

Those of us in this forum might believe that this time things really are
different.  But I would expect the ordinary Council members to be far more
sanguine and mistrusting of any 'jam tomorrow' promises.  

Do you spend money patching the worst holes in the ship before what you
hope will be its last voyage?  Do you trust the ship builder's promise that
the new one will be ready on time?  Do you trust that the resources won't
get diverted to something more urgent?  

Interesting questions.

-- 
John Harrison
Website http://jaharrison.me.uk