Friday 15 January 2016

It's official, Ella and I are mind-readers

2016 Mega Meet Conference "Care Kids at 18+ - joining the wider world"

When we heard that the Ballot Co-ordinator has gone public with her concerns about the authenticity of some of the people who have registered to vote on the location of the 2016 conference we just knew that there was going to be trouble!

In her letter she mentioned that there were "nearly 20" people on the list that she has never met, never heard of before and who have never attended any previous Care Kids function. She now wants to satisfy herself that these people are genuine rather than fake "ballot stuffers".

Good for her!

She also says that she wants to speak directly with each member of this sub-group - she has sent out an email to each one of them asking for their phone number and a convenient time for her to call them.

Good for her!

When we read about this Ella and I predicted that some people would be very annoyed and sure enough they were. Within a matter of hours the Newcastle Organising Committee (N.O.C.) had sent out an email, the crucial line of which was -

"If we are unsuccessful again we will have to consider putting on a rival event for Care Leavers living in northern England and southern Scotland."

Two thoughts and a question have jumped into my mind:
  1. It creates a bad impression when one of the two participants in a bidding process announce in advance that they will not accept the result of the democratic process they helped design.
  2. Holding a rival event will not lessen the geographical problems associated with Newcastle. 
  3. What exactly is meant by the word "rival"?
I think weary resignation just about sums it up.

Sometimes we think that some former Care Kids take a curious delight in adopting a course of action that will do the maximum damage to the very cause that they are trying to promote.

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