Jonathan Rogers wrote:Or ... one could do somethig which will actually get noticed. A public vote for Lara cannot be ignored, because (with all due respect to her plus score in her local league) it will be obvious that "something is up"Ernie Lazenby wrote:Our game has suffered some bad press in recent times of that there is no doubt and our absent President was responsible for much of it. That said I don't think we should devalue an award that recognises someone's chess ability simply to embarrass a President who actually appears to care little about anything connected to chess politics.
I fully understand the frustration demonstrated by Alex however I think the best way of supporting Lara is for us all to send an e mail to the ECF office expressing total support for Lara and suggesting our President should be encouraged to vacate his position ASAP. E mail to be marked for the attention of the Board.
This I don't understand. Why and by whom? It would be us voting for her.Ernie Lazenby wrote: I fear that if Lara was to get the award it would not be seen in good light notwithstanding the heart felt reasons behind the nomination.
I don't intend to keep pressing this campaign, it wasn't even my own idea! I do see that even among those who are disgusted by certain events, some (like Ernie) will still want to keep chess playing and politics separate.
I am just saying that there is a respectable argument for a protest vote here, on the basis that (1) no one seems to want to halt the manifest problems caused by our President (assisted by his presumably self-selected Alternate President) and the mainstream chess don't even want to refer to the CJ-Keene-Lara-Short-suing FIDE sagas (2) yet what can we do about it? We don't even get a direct vote on CJ as President, nor any other Board member, even though many of us are forced against our will to pay money to the ECF (which might be regarded as a form of blackmail since it is not obvious that the ECF has any proper business in striking players off the FIDE list for non-payment). When it comes to voting - as opposed to any other form of activity - all we are ever allowed to do is vote for ECF player of the year. Well a win for Lara will be noticed.
There is a fundemental problem and that is the vast majority of chess players care little about chess politics and in fact the vast majority dont post on this forum. It would be hard to convince the ordinary chess player that Lara deserved the player of the year award in front of those mentioned. Such action would be seen as playing politics with a prestigous award. In my view such action would devalue the award no matter what the merit of the protest vote is, and as many know I support Alex and Lara.
One has to pick the time and place for a fight and having thought about it for several days I dont think using the vehicle of this award is the right thing to do.
This forum is very usefull indeed if I can help with the cost of running it I will however we have to understand that whatever our views are as expressed here they are not going to be of much help at ECF meetings unless the elected reps on Council are instructed to say something in support of Lara and Alex and vote as the members direct. Sadly I am of the view that will not happen under the current structure.
It is a very sad situation Alex and Lara are in but I fear the merits of their case against CJ De-Moi and some of the ECF board will be diminished by a protest vote as suggested.
What must happen is a clear message be sent to CJ DE-Mooi and some of the ECF board saying they must go because events since Shefffield clearly show they are not fit for office.
