[bestbits] Proposal on Best Bits governance

[Jeremy Malcolm]

On 02/12/13 15:45, William Drake wrote:
> For the second time I endorse Anriette’s proposal but with Adam’s
> additional request for some clarifications, e.g. what this SC would be
> doing, on who’s behalf.  In addition, to the extent that there’s a
> claim of interest representation, it’d be good to understand the
> relationship to the IGC, in which the same actors are gathered.  Would
> for example BB be expecting a slot on the 1net coordination group
> alongside the IGC?  Alternatively, if BB is saying that it doesn’t
> accept the 1net mechanism as an interface with the Brazilian
> conference planning process and will maintain its own independent
> relationship via the 4 liaisons, perhaps it shouldn’t be requesting
> one of the five slots, right?
>
> Friendly message, just wondering if this stuff’s been thought through
> off line but not stated yet.

We are not really doing anything on anyone's behalf, just facilitating
the participants' independent engagement in IG processes on a volunteer
basis; so that's why the energy being diverted into this issue is so
misplaced.  Based on the procedures wiki that was launched ahead of the
Bali meeting (http://bestbits.net/wiki/main/procedures/), there are
proposals for the steering committee to be able to do various things,
mostly quite trivial, which you can find by just searching for
"steering" in that page.

One of those proposals was that we would offer a service to compile
expressions of interest received for nominations to other groups, and to
post those back to the main list for approval by consensus.  But even
this was received with suspicion, so we stepped away from it, and
meanwhile a new joint civil society group has come together to do
essentially the same thing (since, one way or another, it needs doing).

Nonetheless, this proposed procedure (and all the others) remain up for
discussion.  But it makes no sense to rush this and to divert our
limited, volunteer energies into developing a perfect set of processes
for Best Bits when there are more important substantive issues to be
dealing with related to the Brazil meeting, enhanced cooperation
process, and so on.  At least, I, for one, don't have time to do both,
and I know which I'd rather be working on.

So that's why I favour Anriette's proposal, which is more realistic and
achieveable, over Michael's which I feel displays a little unnecessarily
paranoia about the interim steering committee's powers and motives.

-- 

*Dr Jeremy Malcolm
Senior Policy Officer
Consumers International | the global campaigning voice for consumers*
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