nigel dabster Posted September 25, 2008 Report Share Posted September 25, 2008 so unlike Mick wren he can't post on here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickwren Posted September 26, 2008 Report Share Posted September 26, 2008 Firstly I want to thank you all for at least showing an interest in my situation. I would be lieing if I said that I didn't hope to stir up some sort of debate but I never intended for it to turn into another round of ACU bashing. In the original version of his article Rappers intimated that there may have been some deliberate plot to exclude me from the election, I can't believe that for one minute but I do feel that when the oportunity arose Gary took the chance to make an example of me, to show how professional he was prepared to be. The phrase " cutting off your nose to spite your face " comes to mind. I don't know Rabie but he seems to be in a position of having some knowledge of the workings of the ACU and he claims that forms have been sent out in this way for at least 5 years and I again state as clearly as I can that I have always received them myself. What sort of system wouldn't send the paperwork directly to retiring members ? it just doesn't make sense. Just as a side issue Rabie claims that everything that the ACU does is always contrary to the views of the South Eastern Centre, has he ever thought it might be the other way round ? If I had been tried for murder there are so many circumstances that would have been taken into account but because i want to devote myself to a sport none of this counts for anything ! Whilst I was writing this reply I received a phone call from Colin Boniface who is one of the nominations for the election. The contents of our conversation are between us but I thank him for his honesty. I have had great support from the media, the bike importers, journalists and photographers and organisers from all over the country and I thank them all, but it seems the more support I get the more resistance there is at Rugby so I have resigned myself to the inevitable, after all so many people have said that it is the ACU's loss and who knows they might be right. P.S If anyone is into the music of REM the first track of their new Album "Accelerate" is the way I view things, if anyone doesn't have the album the track is called " Living well is the best revenge!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big john Posted September 26, 2008 Report Share Posted September 26, 2008 I see Caroline Sandiford has sent a lengthy letter into T&MX News this week on the subject! Big John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cota kid Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Andy, that Mick Wren is plugging REM's new album. Ban him!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 so unlike Mick wren he can't post on here? Mr. Boniface has never been banned from Trials Central. He was, indeed, banned from Trials Action when I ran it for being both intimidating and threatening. ACU members like Mick and John Collins I totally respect and value on this website and even if Mick is not a T&E committee member, his input and opinions will always be welcome here. Mr. Boniface, on the other hand, given my past experiences may not find himself quite so welcome unless he has mellowed a LOT over the past five years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilc0 Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Blimey it looks like Lane was lucky to last as long as he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 How did that american political verbage go? You can call a pig an ass, but a pigs ass is still a pigs ass! I hope you enjoy your free time with your local club members Mick! Tell them to shove it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabie Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Colin Boniface is from the Witley club in the South Eastern Centre, a big trials and enduro club. Think he did some minding in trials back in the day, now involved a lot in enduros and the youth side of both enduros and trials. Firstly I want to thank you all for at least showing an interest in my situation. I would be lieing if I said that I didn't hope to stir up some sort of debate but I never intended for it to turn into another round of ACU bashing. In the original version of his article Rappers intimated that there may have been some deliberate plot to exclude me from the election, I can't believe that for one minute but I do feel that when the oportunity arose Gary took the chance to make an example of me, to show how professional he was prepared to be. The phrase " cutting off your nose to spite your face " comes to mind.I don't know Rabie but he seems to be in a position of having some knowledge of the workings of the ACU and he claims that forms have been sent out in this way for at least 5 years and I again state as clearly as I can that I have always received them myself. What sort of system wouldn't send the paperwork directly to retiring members ? it just doesn't make sense. Just as a side issue Rabie claims that everything that the ACU does is always contrary to the views of the South Eastern Centre, has he ever thought it might be the other way round ? If I had been tried for murder there are so many circumstances that would have been taken into account but because i want to devote myself to a sport none of this counts for anything ! Whilst I was writing this reply I received a phone call from Colin Boniface who is one of the nominations for the election. The contents of our conversation are between us but I thank him for his honesty. I have had great support from the media, the bike importers, journalists and photographers and organisers from all over the country and I thank them all, but it seems the more support I get the more resistance there is at Rugby so I have resigned myself to the inevitable, after all so many people have said that it is the ACU's loss and who knows they might be right. P.S If anyone is into the music of REM the first track of their new Album "Accelerate" is the way I view things, if anyone doesn't have the album the track is called " Living well is the best revenge!" I am (in case anyone didn't know) more commonly known as Jamie Clarke, from the Sidcup club (South Eastern Centre), for my sins i won the Pinhard Prize back in 2003 (my mugshot on here was in TMX several times ) and my parents and grandparents are deeply into motorcycle sport so for my sins i understand the dark and arcane ways the ACU works! That being said unless i say otherwise my posts are my own opinions and not those of anyone else in my family, club, centre, ACU, etc (some people in the past implied otherwise...). The "irony" to us in this case is that Colin Boniface (from our centre) has been trying for several years to get on the TEC, and we've had our own "paperwork distribution problem" within our centre in the past, hence I know where your coming from. Our distributed power structure in our centre meant that on one occasion Colin didn't get the forms as quickly as could have been desired raising similar questions to this case. Secondly as i said in my first response, i had been the Rugby for a Centre Chairmen and Treasurers meeting (as a substitute since everyone else in the centre hierarchy was riding/organising elsewhere) and I've been subbed in before, etc - anyway after the main subject of our meeting the issue of the upcoming ACU elections was discussed as an urgent matter (by the Directors / Gary Thompson), and it turns out Mick Wren wasn't alone (the number 5 springs to mind) in having "issues" with getting the appropriate paperwork in on time. The ACU's chairman said he sympathised with some of these cases (he knew of another one), but they and the room (ie the centres) were in agreement that the rules couldn't be bent for specific examples/cases. As i've already alluded to, the ACU is under "careful observation" from a gentleman from the North West (AB ) and thus everyone is looking closely at rules, etc. As to paperwork being sent out automatically to the members seeking re-election, personally i don't see a real problem with it (hell post the forms on the ACU website). But the case was made at this meeting, that by taking it away from just the NMC and Centre sec's to members up for re-election, it would reinforce the current culture whereby once your in and on an ACU committee unless you hit 70 or actually resign, its very hard for you to be voted off (i'm struggling to think of any recent examples) As to the South Eastern Centre point, that's not what i meant nor is it our gripe as such. I'm getting at the point that all 20 centres, the SACU and the Non territorial board all run trials, and sizeable portion of these 22 different constituencies also run enduro. A committee of 8 of you then try and run this vast behemoth (with the countless championships). Hence the guys down here don't see much of the TEC, we (ie the South Midland, Easter, South Eastern, Southern, hey even the SW area) don't run many nationals (they are all north of Watford in the the average local clubman's mind). When we read TEC minutes we see you guys talking about issues that bear little relation to our sport. Over in MX we had the same problem in MX (but reverse, only southerners) for many years. Thus our centre at the very least advocates splitting the TEC in trials and enduro - my example previously was the 6 man Track racing committee covers *only* 120ish events a year (we run that many trials and enduros in our centre alone!). So is what goes on in the TEC in Rugby "always contrary to the views of the South Eastern Centre", certainly not. But how do we as the people who run motorcycle sport implement a structure to run the sport that is representative. Infact many would claim that there are so many people from the South Eastern Centre in the ACU high command that the reverse is true! Moving on more generally (beyond Mick's post) to the issue of volunteers needing hlep form ACU HQ, well's that is covered in Rapper's next thread/article ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabie Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Update post election..... Mr T Fairbrother and Mr A Rew were re-elected But for the third spot, in some sort of odd quirk with election rules, which are complex/arcane (a mix between "first past the post" - ie normal elections for an MP, etc and some sort of instance run off with a quota - think London Mayor style), the third placed candidate (Mr C Boniface) was eliminated, leaving a run-off between Mr D Chapman and Mrs R Fraser saw neither achieve a majority (half plus one) - ie due to abstentions/void votes/spoilt papers/etc. Same thing happened for the vacant directorship of the ACU. Not sure what will happen now, possibly a by-election in the Spring, but probably some re-think on the election formula. don't you just love democracy in action! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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