United Kingdom: ME Association news

Seems as if everyone is colourblind, or they agree with the party line, or they know this is how things work round here and no one below the office of chair can do anything about it.

I've worked in a situation like the latter, and it's deeply problematic.

 

ME Essential magazine Winter issue:

AGM materials:

1. Notice of AGM

[Notice appears to be lacking required details, eg time, venue, whether members can participate in person at the MEA's Buckingham offices, or whether the meeting is accessible to members only as a virtual meeting. No information how a virtual meeting will be managed. No Agenda. No other AGM materials.]



If there is any other AGM stuff I will post it.


2 Bizarre, unrelated article from Chair Neil Riley:

 

It reads like someone trying to control the narrative.
Of course a woman complained about not getting an interview and wrote a complaining email.

 

One wonders whether that article went to the printers before the complaints re Riley's Autumn editorial blew up. Either way, it's weird.

 

Neil, you ok? No, really, are you ok?

 

Is this strange article from the latest magazine issue?

 

It's the Winter issue.

Leaving aside its dubious content, what a waste of space that should have been used for the Agenda and other information.

 

His fellow board members should be taking him to one side, "Come on Neil, you're 79 now, maybe it's time you stepped down". If that fails, then a vote of no confidence from the board. All it needs is two of the board of directors to propose a vote of no confidence and he or she can be removed provided a simple majority of the board agrees.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1863610423217361102


ME Association@MEAssociation

ME Essential - members' magazine: Winter Edition & Christmas Supplement is out now! Every edition features exclusive articles, medical and scientific developments, Ask the Doctor with Dr Charles Shepherd, and stories from people with ME/CFS and much more..... Become a member: https://meassociation.org.uk/nmrs #pwME #MECFS #MyalgicE #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #LongCovid #PostCovid #MEEssential #Membership


Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, become an MEA member and find yourself disenfranchised from the Company's AGM.

Sorry it does not rhyme.

 

It’s a story familiar to me from support groups. There’s always someone at or near the helm who wants to inflict themselves on others. Very poor leadership. Of course, in small voluntary situations that’s less serious than when it’s an employee or board member.

 

Fixed it for you.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1863604749473370377


Elisabeth Klaar | Oak Tree Studio
@lammas_leaves

That is not our view: we are pretty confused about the situation. We're exchanging emails with the MEA trustees trying to understand how this has happened given how early in the process we asked about requirements for our motion.


https://twitter.com/user/status/1863642207409856901


https://twitter.com/user/status/1863604936182829123


From the start of our correspondence we asked about deadlines and formating of our motion as we realised time was tight. We hope to hear clearer answers and a constructive way forward from them soon.

 

What on earth is going on?
Does he honestly think that after the last few weeks their comms aren’t going to get questioned and shared? Especially on something as contentious as this motion?

All smacks of a Chair who thinks he can say/do what he wants and has got away with doing so for too long.

 

Boundaries which are pushed can become eroded. He’s overstepped and overstepped and nobody has stopped him, expect it to get worse.

 

Re-reading this months missive from the keyboard of Mr Riley, I feel like he's putting one (or two) finger(s) up to those who have complained about his recent article and non-apology and who aren't MEA members. That's the only explanation I can see to the part that seems to be almost gushing about members telling them where they have gone wrong - perhaps they feel that the majority who have complained or signed the open letter about his previous insult, aren't members, so, they can frankly go do one.

It's all so weird; we want your feedback members, but we are really holding our noses in having to deal with you peasants and we won't actually answer anything contentious or that doesn't gush about all the good work we do first.

 

They’re called the ME Association, they have a charitable aim to provide information and support. If they only deal in members, not pwME, they need to embargo their magazines and deal more effectively with members so that they don’t feel they must publicly discuss concerns about how the AGM is run or what they say in their editorial.

It’s not the Neil Riley fanclub , in fact it would do well as the Charles Shepherd fan club!

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1863700506708730230



NickyProctor@NickyProctor

To be clear
@lammas_leaves
and I have NOT withdrawn the motion. The motion has been excluded from the agenda by the chair of trustees (21 Nov) after he said, “I will place this on the agenda for the AGM” (15 Nov) & “…your motion [which] will be put to the meeting” (16 Nov).
9:10 PM · Dec 2, 2024


Elisabeth Klaar | Oak Tree Studio
@lammas_leaves
Exactly - we definitely did not withdraw. We were told several times it would be discussed, as Nicky shows with her quotes.

 

What was their motion, please? Does anyone know.