Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

[john]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

o i will when i come back to party at the weekends :P n do a few miles in the lambo

[swanaldo]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

you would only wrap it around a lampost or into a brick wall lol

[john]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

then ill just buy a new 1 :P or get the boss to treat me to one ha

[pressure]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

Shane, it is a free election, anyone can vote for who they like or think will do a good job.
As you probably now know Ed has been banned from standing as president.
When you say I now believe you plan a take over of the FRA and you are all corrupting the system... do you mean me personally?
I have stated several times that I (if elected) intend to make the FRA more transparent, fair and evenhanded.
How could I (even if I wanted!) take over the FRA? I will only get one vote just like all the other members of the committee!
I am standing for two reasons:
1. Because of the reasons I have just mentioned.
2. Because numerous roboteers encouraged me to (before Ed was on the scene!).

[andy_kane]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

Mike,
Just need to correct your last statment.

Mr Hoppitt has not been banned from anything to do with the election.

He has been deemed temporarily not elligable to contest an FRA election as his application/status may contavene the FRA constitution. Mr Hoppitt will be offered an opportunity to present his case to the new governing body in due course.

I would urge you to be careful with language as I am sure you would not want to be seen as misleading all, or some of your readers

[pressure]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

I stand corrected, Mr. Hoppitts application has been rejected, not banned.

[dragonmaster_1]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

same thing

[swanaldo]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

can i just point out something.

we had a healthy campaign going on and with valuable candidates running for seats.

Again 1 person has come along and there is unsettlement. My statment was not pionted at you directly Mike. I was invited to see what happens regarding the FRA and how it works.

If you were totally honest and totally unbiased then you would agree with me that things at the moment look very suspect. You saw emails that were tooing and frowing between the committee and if you are honest and unbiased then you would agree with me that it looked like someone was being very biased toward someone else.

You cant blame me for worrying when I really do have the sport at heart and if there is any corruption going on at all by anyone at all on the fra then i will expose it on the forum for everybody to see.

I then wont run for any seat cos if there is corruption on the committee already then i dont want part of it. if there is any corruption with the new committee then i dont want part of it.

I will expose everything i find out eventually if i find out.

I have put myself up for a roboteers rep and for the roboteers i will stand. They all have a right to know.

[pressure]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

Yes, as a candidate I have seen the tooing and froing of e-mails. As regards bias, that depends on whether you mean support for someone (anyone has the right to do that) or something more sinister.
I would agree that things have been upset, a great shame, but thats polotics sometimes.
As to corruption, should it arise, I personally will not tollerate it.

[swanaldo]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

thats good to hear Mike. I do hope you wont tolerate it because i certainly wont.

[joey_picus]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

Thanks for the answer to my last question Mike, glad to hear that youd push for the leaflets and increasing the awareness

I do have one other question for you (I intend to ask the same of Kane and any other candidates for chairman): How do you feel about the fanfic communitys presence on this site?
Id like to think - as expressed by Shane and Ed among others - that we are the roboteers of tomorrow (I certainly think so myself, trying to get a feather done and get to the proposed Kuwait event, and more than one roboteer at the moment has got their start in fanfic), and that we do add to the discussion on the site, but at the same time Im aware that our presence could be seen as an annoyance by some people, I wont deny that there have been difficult times in the past as well, although they are behind us now

So, speaking honestly, would you continue to accept or at least tolerate our presence on these boards, if elected? (particularly with regards to Martijn Benschop being elected as the fanfic communitys representative and contact point, Shane or Marti can tell you more about that)

[pressure]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

I have read the vapourbot rules and some of the fights, you cant get more grass roots than this!
The great thing is you dont have to buy a new motor controller or battery pack if it gets wrecked!
This activity will almost certainly lead to more real robots being built so I support its presence on the forum, Mike.

[pressure]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

As the official campaign period ends this week I am posting my proposals and aims for my chairmanship should I be elected, this not an exhaustive list and please note that any proposals (by all candidates) have to pass through the committee voting process.
The committee:
See that all discussion and voting issues involve all members of the committee and that they all vote, using e-mail, phone etc if necessary.
Post details of the committee members on the forum (position, name, picture, team etc) so that the community knows who they are. This will, hopefully, make the committee more accessible.
Put issues that directly affect the roboteers out for open discussion, post proposals for debate. Give roboteers the ability to vote on these issues where practicable.
Try to get all EOs to every meeting for their views and ideas.
Post details of committee meetings as soon as they are arranged (ie a day or so after).
Post minutes of meetings within a week.
Leave the past where it is and move forward.
The FRA:
Improve public awareness by having a stand at all events with details ie:
Leaflet(s) with FRA website and brief outline of what it contains,
FAQ sheet of building robots, step by step guide, weights, components, materials etc.
List of all EO websites with additional sheet of the years events.
Get into education via local authorities who put shows and visits into schools and colleges.
Seek out old Robot Wars teams that have disappeared and try to get them back into the community.
Make every effort to keep roboteering in the public eye and keep FRA aims on track.
Myself:
Be objective.
Listen.
Work with the rest of the committee.
Build more robots!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, Mike.

[grant_ploughbot]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

Get into education via local authorities who put shows and visits into schools and colleges.

Do you realise that this will be directly interfiering with most event organisers living?
If you plan on the FRA running educational shows then they will need to be very cheap to keep the FRA a non-profit making organisation, and training people to teach these shows will prove costly.
If it proves that it can be done cheap, this will mean its far harder for the current event organisers working in education to get into schools and colleges and make a profit as a business - that means no more events from RR or RC!

[pressure]

Mike Hamilton-Macy, candidate for FRA chairman.

No I was not planning on the FRA running events but acting , as the governing body / representative of the sport, on behalf of and promoting EOs or roboteers that wish to do so. I know that EOs do other educational or corporate work but not to what extent, no boubt existing committee members are more up to speed on this.
A good reason to have EOs at committee meetings is so they can keep the committee abreast of things outside of the normal combat events.