To avoid trouble with the limits on embedding quotes, I have snipped some of the discussion. The reader can read up-thread for the context.
Andrew Paulson wrote:Malcolm Pein, Sean Hewitt and Alex Holowczak, among others, were eager to be put on Commissions under this initiative.
From an email dated 30th January, Malcolm Pein wrote:2) I have met with the main Chess in Schools organisations in Western Europe recently. The general consensus is that the FIDE Chess in Schools Commission is damaged beyond repair.
We are probably forming an umbrella organisation for Europe to coordinate research and fund raising. FIDE is toxic from that viewpoint. In the unlikely event of a complete clear out many people might come forward. I think the FIDE brand might remain toxic for some time to come but so I would be unlikely to put my name forward.
Andrew Paulson wrote:Malcolm's documentary evidence (an email exchange with me from January 30) that you cite does not contradict my recollections of our January 3rd meeting in my flat, it simply updates his position. Between January 3rd and 30th, Kasparov began to execute his UK strategy.
Malcolm came to my flat and we discussed many things in a very relaxed and friendly manner as we always had. We discussed my standing with Zurab on the ECU ticket, which he was outraged by; however, we agreed to disagree on this issue. We discussed the usefulness of creating the Anglophone Committee as a lobbying force within FIDE and independent from the current candidates. We shared our strong reservations about Kasparov as a potential President of FIDE and compared a Kasparov future to a Kirsan future; Malcolm acknowledged that Kasparov would lose, but that he had to support him on ethical grounds, which I fully accepted. We discussed the ECF initiative to bring UKCA and Michael Basman back into the ECF, which he supported. We discussed space for an English Chess Heritage library. We discussed the proposal for Charity Status of the ECF and the makeup of the Board of Trustees. And, I asked if he would be willing as part of the Anglophone Committee initiative to be a member of the Chess in Schools Commission. He answered, "yes". There was no hesitation or reservation. I have no problem with my memory on this.
Andrew,
The point is that Malcolm's rejection in the email of his proposed membership of the Commission does not support your contention of
eagerness to join, it suggests the reverse. Furthermore, you were flatly contradicted by Malcolm up-thread.
Irrespective of this, I would posit that your account doesn't seem tenable. Why, after you had "outraged" Malcolm, would he be "eager", at your prompting, to join a body he did not respect? Or are you saying that the Azmaiparashvili topic came up after Malcolm had eagerly (sic) agreed to have his name prospectively put forward for the Chess in Schools Commission? We are both aware that
Azmaiparashvili is the First Deputy Minister of Sports of the newish Georgian government, one much more warmly disposed towards Moscow (in a chess context that means Ilyumzhinov) than its immediate predecessor, despite the disputes about territorial integrity. Thus you must have known that Azmaiparashvili's name would be contentious, even if you were unaware of his reputation amongst more than a few English chess players. Keeping quiet about your alliance with the Georgian until later would come across as duplicitous, for naivety is not a charge I'd willingly level at you.
[edit]Incidentally, as I recall, the joint ticket with Azmaiparashvili was known from December.[/edit]