CHAIRMANS REPORTS.
REPORT to the RNA MEETING held at MEXBOROUGH 13th DECEMBER 2008
A Letter to the Chairman.
To all RNA Area Chairmen.
Dear Shipmate Chairman.
OUR FUTURE IN OUR HANDS.
Having followed events at H.Q.over the past three years or so I feel compelled to write to you stating my concerns at the direction in which our association is being led. I have to ask
you,do you know what is happening to the decision
making processes at H.Q ? I feel we need a debate
at Area Chairman level because area committees are being bypassed by unelected officers by what I can only describe,for the majority at least,as
a toothless and poorly led National Council.
I hope and trust that having read the following you will agree that we are in danger of losing the democratic control of our association and that you would wish to do something about it.Let me begin with the appointment of an executive assistant,Paddy McClurg.It would appear that Paddy was brought in to assist in the move from Chelsea Manor Street,it appears also that his appointment was a done deal before he was presented to the National Council,is this democracy?.
What of the Barry Leighton affair,is it right that 'ELECTED' National Council Members are gagged under a threat of legal action and unableto report on such a significant event to their area committees? Have we been informed of the cost to the RNA of Barry Leighton leaving his position? It is strange also that there was such indecent haste in promoting Paddy to General Secretary,another done deal without seeking opinions of those of us whose membership fees paysalaries.Why wasn't the position advertised as it surely was a legal requirment to do so? Did weneed another ex Naval Officer? Surely an ex ChiefWriter could do just as good a job.Their were some National Council Members who objected to these proceedings; I am informed that they were subjected to harassment.As an Area Chairman can you,or do you,condone such behaviour by 'UNELECTED OFFICERS' of the National Council.
The move to Portsmouth.I agree the time is probably right for a move and Portsmouth might well turn out in the long term to be succesful,
however,was a move to Chatham,or Birmingham,or anywhere else for that matter fully evaluated.
The General Secretary says for instance that Chatham is merely surviving not thriving,this was not what my experience on visiting Chatham recently,it is a busy bustling historic dockyard
and if London is still the hub of all traffic in the south-east,then Chatham is as accessible as elsewhere.I am informed that no evaluation of Chatham or indeed anywhere else took place,is that because none of our 'UNELECTED OFFICERS' live there?.
What was the cost to the RNA of investigating a move into the Admiralty Quarter in Portsmouth?
It took long enough for someone to pick up on the prospectof paying some £250,000 in VAT had we
moved there,this would all but have wiped us out in a few years.I ask you are we being led by those who know so much better than we? Details like these involving huge amounts of our association's money should be thoroughly debated at Area level.Again it seems that Portsmouth was a done deal before Paddy McClurg was parachuted
in to provide the smoke and mist up the mirrors.
Strange how many done deals there are in a democratic organisation!.
Control of the National Conferance:
I have witnessed manipulation at conferance and also a dont do as I do, do as I say attitude from
'UNELECTED OFFICERS'.Proposers of a motion have
5 minutes to speak,seconding a motion you have 3 minutes,I have witnessed shipmates being told to sit down,and at the same time 'UNELECTED OFFICERS'speaking for 10 or more minutes,you may recall our Vice-President in Dundee,and our President in Torqoay.we are being silenced at every opportunity,it is quite unacceptable.
Paperwork:
Do you know of the plethora of paperwork produced to effectively wrest control from the 'ELECTED' National Council.
1)Duties and responsibilities.
2)CASTIRON.
3)Strategic Integration.
4)Evolving our committee structures.
If you have not read any of these papers I strongly recommend that you do,you may be surprised at what you discover.
National Finances:As an Area Chairman what do you know about how our money is being spent?. Do you know of the Devauden saga and of its cost to the RNA?.Why dont we see the expenses of 'ELECTED' and 'UNELECTED' National Council Members?.What is the ongoing cost of membership of the International Maritime Confederation and what tangible benefit has your area seen from such a membership?.Who is accountable for the inflation busting wageincreases for H.Q.staff and has London weightingbeen removed now that we operate from Portsmouth?Has the money from the sale of Chelsea Manor Street been ring fenced to enable the purchase of a new permanent H.Q.? We need to see evidence of this!.
Sub Committees:Are you aware that all decisions taken by the National Council are strongly influenced by 'UNELECTED' officers and in future will be debated by the newly formed sub-committees which will include Area involvement?. Area 10 feels ourarea National Council Members are being undermined and area committees are being sidelined.Their are many more examples and incidents of this which I am happy to bring to the table in due course.
So Shipmate Chairman I feel we need to redress the balance in the interest of democracy and to rid ourselves of autocracy.I hope I have providedyou with many points to ponder and I remind you that the future of our great organisation is in our own hands.The responsibility rests with us and our Area Committees to step in, where our National Council Members don't appear able, to restore a much needed democratic hierarchy to theRoyal Naval Association.
I look forward to your comments and the possibility of us meeting together to discuss the future of our association.
Yours Aye.
Dave Tollerton.
Chairman.
RNA AREA 10.
SHIPMATES
This letter was sent out by the signiture to all
Area Chairmen.
Thank You.
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