"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

Sunday 24 February 2013

Collegiality?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Points of Debate":

"...but it's slow going. Often tedious."

The feeling must be mutual, thus the interruptions.

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No doubt the feeling is mutual. 

The difference is, I do not interrupt the Councillor on  a  spurious point of order  that he is taking forever to make his point.

That's not a point of order. 

Nine people have been elected to represent the community. 

If we respect the decision of the electorate, we respect the authority of each member  to represent their particular viewpoint however they wish to do so. So long as they are not impugning  motives of a Council, casting aspersions on  integrity,  being uncivil to a colleague, repeating the same point over and over, not speaking to the motion on the table and generally being f-ng  obnoxious.  

It's natural that members with greater experience might have more to contribute to a debate. Yes... maybe too much at times.

It's  also  natural that those without experience might prefer everyone to function at the same level so  lack thereoff   is not so blatantly obvious.

It's the essential discipline of a  nine member Council.

Nuisance interruptions contribute nothing to a debate but childish  lack of discipline.

Brings down the tone of the whole affair.

We owe it to  the people who elected us to put our best foot forward.     
     


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