Re: [ga] European At Large meeting announcement (today)

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My responses below:

----- Original Message -----
From: Vittorio Bertola <vb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Richard Henderson <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

RH: Unfortunately the ALAC was invented by the Board, is financed by the
Board, is controlled through a maze of mechanisms by the Board.

VB: The first affirmation is only partly correct...

RH: I simply don't accept that Vittorio. The At Large membership did not
suddenly say "Hey! Let's lock ourselves in an ICANN structure, that sounds
like fun!" The whole ALAC initiative was devised by the ICANN Board, who
appointed Denise Michel to oversee it, and drafted in Esther to back her up.
The aim was to "look good" to DoC and others, and create a powerless
replacement for the Elected Representatives of the At Large who they'd just
expelled! ALAC was a damage-limitation exercise, which they hoped would
legitimise the coup they'd carried out against the elected At Large people.

RH: Unfortunately the ALAC is financed by the Board

VB: The second affirmation is only partly correct - yes, ICANN is paying our
travel costs to come here, but is not paying our time, nor a number of other
practical expenses that we are supporting with our own money or with money
from our organizations.

RH: ICANN expels the At Large's elected representatives, then finances the
travel and development of ALAC, to "get away" with their coup - they're
paying your travel to take the place of the At Large's elected
representatives. As for your time, Vittorio, we all expend our time. My
point is that if ICANN is financing the ALAC initiative, you can see it is
an ICANN initiative, not an At Large initiative.

RH: Unfortunately the ALAC is controlled through a maze of mechanisms by the
Board.

VB: The third affirmation is absolutely incorrect - please show a situation
where the Board has obliged the ALAC to do or say something it didn't want
to do.

RH: Of course ICANN does not control your thoughts, Vittorio. But ALAC *is*
controlled - or shall we say "constrained and contained" - in the political
reality at ICANN. Whatever views you have, however independent you wish to
be, whatever criticisms you choose to level against the Board... they still
*control your power* and render you unable to prevent them, by structuring
ALAC as a kind of organisation for organisations, divided by regional its
regional subdivisions, powerless, a atlking shop to be ignored at will, held
at a distance from executive power by further layers of nominating
committees on which you can never have a majority, access to the Boardroom
cut off... (though they let you 'sit in' on certain meetings)... Vittorio,
they want ALAC to be seen as the At Large, (and it simply isn't), and they
control you by not giving you any power. Rendered powerless, ALAC merely
strengthens ICANN's own power. ALAC thinks it controls its own positions,
but the very existence of ALAC weakens the position of the At Large by
blurring the real democratic rights of the people it has appointed itself to
"represent". They are *controlling* you indeed, and you do not even realise
it!

On your remaining points I will simply repeat my original post : when ALAC
is made up of individual members, each with one vote, and those individuals
elect all their representatives (with no votes going to organisations!)...
then ALAC starts to be sincerely bottom up and democratic...

And at that point it would demand seats on the Board, elected
democratically, and that is exactly what ICANN abolished. Logical
conclusion: whatever happens, the ICANN Board is not going to facilitate a
structure based on one person one vote (because that is exactly what it set
out to abolish!)...

Vittorio, I have always respected your humanity and sincerity - this is no
personal attack - I cannot, however, accept the defence you offer of an
initiative set up by the Board to perpetuate the power of the Board.

The message of the (real) At Large: restore our elected representatives to
the Board Room!

...

Sincere good wishes,

Richard Henderson