[Scottish] The Future of the LUG

[Willie]

On Saturday 13 December 2003 23:27, ptb wrote:
> Hallo all : -
>
> As an activity/interest group that can't even agree on having
> any need for a customarily-adequate para-bureaucratic committee
> component, SLUG would maybe feel out of place dealing with
> politicians who actually want to govern and are willing to face
> up to trying to do it.  So maybe the ones who are happier with
> opposition jobs (aren't all three MSPs mentioned and likewise
> the SSP ones 'List' as well?) would indeed be suitably
> irrelevant?  Not exactly building on strengths is it?
Not exactly clear what your point is here but I'm getting a hint of 
negativity, perhaps you would care to expand on this.  

Are these MSPs irrelevant because they are not new labour or lib dem?  Why 
does whether they are 'List' or directly elected matter?
we would expect to deal with members of all parties, not simply those 
mentioned. 
Why on earth should we feel "out of place"? 
Are our views of no import because as a self-selecting subset of Linux users 
in Scotland we have no formal structure?
We're doomed to failure before we start, so why bother?

So what do you propose then?

>
> Don't get me wrong, SLUG has been fine in terms of individual
> members' achievements and help given but what has it done in
> say the last six months except survive?

A lot more than may appear obvious from the mailing list or the website.
SLUG is its members so their individual achievements are to an extent shared 
by us all. A lot of good stuff on all sorts of levels wouldn't happen but for 
the friends people have made through SLUG meetings and IRC.

A lot less than we could have achieved if there been more action on the 
mailing list or volunteers to organise something during the last six months.

You should have told us you were bored with just surviving earlier. 
Since Ben Thorp kicked off the present discussion the board has never been 
busier. Bandwidth may not always equal quality but its good to talk.
If you think we need a committee structure then go ahead and propose it, there 
may well be more support for this than is immediately obvious. But if you 
don't ask, you won't find out.
-- 
Best Regards
Willie Fleming