Re: [atlarge-discuss] (fwd) Urgent input needed for ERC on At-Large ***please respond by Monday morning***

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@ntlworld.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Bruce Young <Bruce@barelyadequate.info>
To: <atlarge-discuss@lists.fitug.de>
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 4:59 AM
Subject: RE: [atlarge-discuss] (fwd) Urgent input needed for ERC on At-Large
***please respond by Monday morning***


> Both Joanna and Richard Henderson made good points here.  We should be
> willing to work ICANN, but only if they are willing to deal fairly with
all
> commers.  I also agree that the organization representative that make up
an
> internal At Large body be allowed to organize their own processes.  I also
> like Richards's idea that representation be based on membership numbers.
>
> Bruce Young

I admit Danny Younger raises a significant point that, if representation was
based on membership numbers, then ISOC would tend to swamp us out initially.

However you either believe in democratic representation or you don't. If we
only have 900 members, then that's all we represent. However, our goal is to
represent hundreds of thousands, in order to have weight and credibility in
our claims to represent users.

Outreach is a vital priority after these elections : if the elected
executive have vision and ambition, our numbers should grow exponentially.

In my view we should base our organisation (and claims for the At Large to
be democratically represented on the ICANN Board) on democracy - even if
that disadvantages us in the first instance. We should stick to principles.
And besides, if the ALAC is not run democratically, it will hardly be worth
participating in anyway.

Sure, we can continue to try to "influence" ICANN. But will they listen? Ha!
However, from the outset, we should be trying to "plant the seed" of
democratic representation inside ICANN.

Our own agenda and our moral authority should be built around democratic
representation.

It's what we should stand for.

Otherwise, we'll just end up as the "window-dressing" of ICANN, and they
will use us to show the DoC and the world: "There you are, we DO have an At
Large process" while remaining unaccountable to the millions of users of the
Internet all round the world.

Richard Henderson



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