Max Evidence 3[33]
11July teleconf Minutes
Minutes: Wales
Green Party Council Meeting
Telephone
Conference, 8.00pm, 11th July 2013
Present:
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Ann Were:
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General Secretary
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Chris Simpson:
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Ceredigion GP
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John Matthews:
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Jane Cooke:
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Radnor GP
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Pippa Bartolotti:
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Leader
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Chris Were:
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Deputy Leader/Website Manager
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John Evans:
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Electoral Returning Officer
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Trish Evans:
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Bridgend GP
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Owen Clarke:
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LP Development Officer
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Apologies: Dorothy Wilson
Declaration of interest: PB started the
meeting by declaring an interest. She had initiated the complaint dealt with in
item 1; and offered to leave the conference if anybody thought that she was
showing bias. In the event, none of the other members asked her to leave the
conference.
1) Discussion and decision on our actions
regarding the complaint against Max Wallis: this complaint had been sent to
GPRC. Jill Mills had contacted AW and asked for the complaint to be dealt with
at the Wales
level before GPRC dealt with it, in accord with our current Complaints Procedure. This was discussed
at length and the following points were agreed by consensus:
a)
All the main activists at the Wales level are
well aware of the dispute, not least because they have all received the
e-mailed newsletters from Max Wallis. It was felt that there was no possibility
that WGP could locate three people to investigate this complaint in a way which
would be perceived by an outside observer to be fair. Therefore we agreed that
AW should write back to Jill Mills pointing this out, and asking for GPRC to
take over the investigation of this complaint.
Action: AW
b)
There was a discussion about whether Max Wallis
could be brought back into the fold – to be persuaded to act in a consensual
manner rather than antagonising people at all levels. In view of his track
record, and the fact that he does not at any point appear to have accepted that
he may have overstepped the mark, this was not considered to be a feasible
option. In particular, we took note of the following:
Ø Before
Max Wallis e-mailed out his second newsletter, he had discussed it with JE; but
had not taken his advice.
Ø Before
Max e-mailed out his third newsletter, he had discussed it with Andy Chyba, who
had advised him not to send it out.
Ø Max
had been given the option of pulling back from an antagonistic position at
previous WGPC and Cardiff GP meetings – and had not taken these opportunities
to re-focus and try to act consensually.
Ø There
was no scope for DRC to step in. DRC is short of members, and OC is the only
one with experience of trying to resolve difficult situations. OC felt that he
personally could act in an unbiased way to try to resolve this situation; but
he recognised that no outside observer would accept that he had acted in an
unbiased way. Also, it was rather late in the day for DRC to be called in.
2) To discuss and decide on actions regarding
the misuse of membership data by Max Wallis: this has arisen because Max
was suspended from his WGPC post of members’ newsletter editor by the WGPC
meeting of 11th May. He had been told, and instructed not to use members’ e-mail data for any
further communications to members; yet he had gone ahead and issued a
newsletter on 5th July. There was a discussion around the issues and
the following were agreed by consensus:
a)
Max Wallis thinks he is not actually suspended
from his WGPC post because the meeting which took the decision to suspend him
was inquorate. (There were 7 people present – but Max thinks that TE was not
the properly endorsed representative of Bridgend GP.) AW said that she had
received an e-mail giving Trish Evans as the Bridgend GP rep. It was agreed
that it was important to keep proper records including all relevant e-mails so
that we can disprove this should it be required. Action:
everybody
b)
It was noted that WGPC has the power to suspend
Max Wallis’ membership under section 6) of our Complaints Procedure: “You
may suspend individuals from your local or regional party or exclude them from
meetings on the grounds of safety or peace of other members or unimpeded
progress of business. If they are to be suspended from the national party for
the same reasons this request has to be submitted to GPRC via the CEO. Expulsion
may only be carried out by GPRC at a meeting”.
c)
It was felt that suspension of Max Wallis’
membership was necessary because:
Ø He
has misused the membership database by sending out e-mails to the whole
membership after having been specifically told not to do so.
Ø Ordinary
party members are being upset by these negative e-mail communications.
Ø He
has a track record of disrupting WGPC meetings, starting from a WGPC meeting at
GPEW Conference when Max was not actually a member, and continuing up to the
meeting of 6th July when the meeting was terminated prematurely
because Max would not leave the meeting.
Ø As
detailed in 1b) above, we did not think there was any likelihood that Max
Wallis would change his behaviour.
d)
In view of the above, it was agreed by consensus that Max Wallis’ membership of Wales
e)
There was a brief discussion about what to do
should Max continue to utilise the members’ database and send out damaging
e-mails. Although this is likely to be technically illegal under data
protection legislation, it was felt not in the best interest of the party to
involve outside agencies such as the police at this stage. The situation will
be kept under review.
f)
There was a discussion about whether Max could
portray this situation as “the old guard” trying to keep out new blood.
Although AW, CS, JM & OC were all longstanding WGPC members who could
reasonably be described as “old guard”, the other 5 members of council could
not in any way be described as such.
3) To confirm the date of the next meeting –
AGM, 9th November 2013: this was agreed. JC will go ahead with a
reservation in Llandrindod.
Action: JC
4) Any other urgent business: none.
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