"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Fish or Cut Bait

Councillor Gallo frequently calls a point of order by what he considers my staring from the question in debate.

Councillor Pirri is adopting a  similar habit.

From their perspcctive I understand their position.

On the oter hand from my perspective, my arguments are quite likely to be wide ranging.  Simply. on the basis of knowledge and experience.

I can deliver substantially more support  for my arguments in a relatively short time.

On the other hand Councillor Gallo spends a considerable mount of time  articulating and tentatively
asking  staff to provide him with answers and almost never geting to the point of presenting an argument let alone persuade others as to its merits.

Councillor Pirri is scacely more persuasive . He has little experience in being interrupted in the full flow
of an exhortation. He therefore as no sense of how it  is e to be interrupted in full flight of oratory.

One of these days however , if either one ever arrives at  the point of  discovering the nature of debate, there may be an opportunity to provide them with that experience.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

According to Robert's Rules (are these still in use?) a Point of Order is an "infraction of the rules, or improper decorum in speaking. Must be raised immediately after the error is made."

If it were possible for Clr. Gallo to organize his thoughts before opening his mouth, and then refrain from playing with his facial hair while trying to think on the fly, his attendance and participation at meetings could be justified. At the moment he just takes up space and time. As someone with several years of experience he should be doing better.

Clr. Pirri is a nice, well intentioned young man, notwithstanding his passion for Aristotle. His inexperience is evident but he has demonstrated that he is going to try hard to be a success at this game, and in time he is expected to be a valuable member of Council.

In the meantime you are there to keep them in line.

Anonymous said...

It's the company Pirri has to keep. Windy and Gallo would addle anyone's brain. Lose the Mayor's two book-ends - make them move around the table and help everyone. That should loosen things up for Pirri.
Stupidity can be contagious.

Anonymous said...

That's a good idea to move staff around the table. sometimes it appears that the Mayor is the pig- in the middle in danger of being squeezed. He should be able to manage without the crutches after more than a year.
Appearances do matter. He was elected to sit there; staff were not. They could do with a reminder that they work for the Council rather than on them.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous - 19 January, 2012 9:23 AM

Appearances matter but moving the deck chairs around the Titanic did not make a difference. Do you honestly think that the seating plan would make a difference.

Lipstick on a pig.