Hi all,
Tomorrow night's meeting will be the "special meeting to consider legal
representation" - this will be the only item on the agenda. The meeting
will have a different shape from our regular meeting. Gay, Jan, Frances and
I take responsibility for the conduct of the meeting, since we proposed it.
We will begin with time to listen to each other as we respond to the
questions:
"What are the issues that are important to you as you consider this
decision?
What are the factors and concerns that inform this for you?"
This is a time for listening carefully and respectfully, without
interruption or response or asides.
When everyone has had an opportunity to address these questions (if they
wish to do so), Gay will summarise what has been said.
We then move to discussion, seeking to reach consensus about the way
forward. The questions to consider at this time will be "what have you
heard that would help us reach consensus?"
Out of this time we will formulate a minute on which we will make a
decision using the cards.
We do not expect that this will be a brief meeting. But we also believe
that it is time we made a decision on these matters. We will do our very
best to ensure that we come to that point tomorrow night.
Attached is a document in which I have brought together the responses we
have received from the lawyers to whom we have addressed questions. Please
take the time to read this through before you come to the meeting, so that
we can proceed on the basis of shared knowledge - we all know that this is
what we all know.
Thank you to the 'red card' people who have sent through their reasons, as
requested. If others wish to do so, please do.
At the end of this, we also need to think about what has happened over the
past couple of months, and what we need to learn from this, so that the
next time we face an issue on which we are divided, we have improved our
processes in the light of this experience.
Please come with a quiet mind tomorrow, and open ears, ready to listen to
one another. There is an injunction I know which is a good piece of
guidance- 'be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger'.
Go well - see you tomorrow!
Anne