18-08-2013, 09:03 PM
Yes Alan I am well aware of the past misdemeanour's of Scottish Chess when it comes to sending juniors abroad. We even sent someone to, I believe it was Columbia, when several other European nations including the English didn't attend due to the high levels of crime and violence there. This person was able to write a nice report for the magazine about how the Germans got held up at gunpoint and robbed in the foyer of the hotel ah the good old days. I am also aware under previous regimes that we sent juniors abroad without telling parents that we weren't covering travel insurance and they would have to make their own arrangements. So we should think ourselves lucky in this age of the softies and all this PGV nonsense, just get on with it and stop witch hunting this poor individual. However, perhaps I should be more sympathetic to your point of view, it is closer to the official view of Chess Scotland than you might think.
When I posted the motions I gave 5 reasons why I wanted the person named so far the only response I have had to the 5 reasons is I want to “publicly lynch” him. So is it the case that these are not my reasons and I have a hidden agenda to publicly lynch him,
The reasons I have given are in line with PVG guidance. The starting point is the protection of the vulnerable group, in this case a child NOT the protection of the adult. PVG is first and foremost about protection of the vulnerable. By keeping this individual's name secret we are failing as an organisation in our duty of care to the victim and the parent.
I raised the question in the supporting statement about whether the suspension was merely to placate the parent. If this was not the case what was it meant to achieve? Certainly he shouldn't be coaching junior members which is in line with the suspension. If this is the sum total of what we are doing as an organisation then we are leaving him free to contact juniors either directly or through parents/guardians or other coaches. He is driving a coach and horses through the action we have taken against him or is he?
Chess Scotland officials have been given evidence of his activity and will only give one of two responses. “The matter is closed” from the Chair of the Standards Committee or to quote The President in an email to the parent who informed him that the suspended individual was in possession of information he shouldn't in their opinion have
:”The restriction arising from deletion of XXXX from the Chess Scotland
list of Registered Coaches applies only to prevent him undertaking regulated
work in a CS capacity. As you may know, 'regulated work' is a defined term.
The removal from the list is not, and indeed cannot be, any attempt to
restrict normal freedom of speech, general interest in chess and
so on.”
So the President of Chess Scotland views this person 1.Contacting juniors. 2.Knowing about juniors involvement in tournaments beyond a level that someone who was not directly involved would normally be expected to have. As doing nothing more than carrying out his right to free speech and having a general interest in chess and so on.
Now given this definition by the President who we now know is aware that this person's is contacting others and has detailed knowledge coming from somewhere about junior teams I ask again why was this person suspended.
Are we truly saying that as long as he doesn't coach any junior member he can do what he likes. He can seek information, talk to them advise them about Congresses and “so on”. Is this what a suspension entails. So, when I said that Chess Scotland is doing absolutely nothing about his transgressions am I wrong. Clearly I am if we accept the President's definition of a suspension.
The whole intention of someone having their PVG cleared coaches status suspended is to keep him/her away from junior members during the period of the suspension. If the President views this persons current activities as free speech and general chess interest then we have to ask do we have a PVG policy worthy of the name. I think not.
So at the risk of leading a lynch mob I want the person named to protect junior members in line with a PVG policy we should be operating not the one we seem to be operating. It is not the role of the PVG policy to protect the guilty at the expense of the victims.
As I said Alan your view may be closer to the official Chess Scotland policy than mine in which case it is a sad indictment of the state of Scottish Chess.
When I posted the motions I gave 5 reasons why I wanted the person named so far the only response I have had to the 5 reasons is I want to “publicly lynch” him. So is it the case that these are not my reasons and I have a hidden agenda to publicly lynch him,
The reasons I have given are in line with PVG guidance. The starting point is the protection of the vulnerable group, in this case a child NOT the protection of the adult. PVG is first and foremost about protection of the vulnerable. By keeping this individual's name secret we are failing as an organisation in our duty of care to the victim and the parent.
I raised the question in the supporting statement about whether the suspension was merely to placate the parent. If this was not the case what was it meant to achieve? Certainly he shouldn't be coaching junior members which is in line with the suspension. If this is the sum total of what we are doing as an organisation then we are leaving him free to contact juniors either directly or through parents/guardians or other coaches. He is driving a coach and horses through the action we have taken against him or is he?
Chess Scotland officials have been given evidence of his activity and will only give one of two responses. “The matter is closed” from the Chair of the Standards Committee or to quote The President in an email to the parent who informed him that the suspended individual was in possession of information he shouldn't in their opinion have
:”The restriction arising from deletion of XXXX from the Chess Scotland
list of Registered Coaches applies only to prevent him undertaking regulated
work in a CS capacity. As you may know, 'regulated work' is a defined term.
The removal from the list is not, and indeed cannot be, any attempt to
restrict normal freedom of speech, general interest in chess and
so on.”
So the President of Chess Scotland views this person 1.Contacting juniors. 2.Knowing about juniors involvement in tournaments beyond a level that someone who was not directly involved would normally be expected to have. As doing nothing more than carrying out his right to free speech and having a general interest in chess and so on.
Now given this definition by the President who we now know is aware that this person's is contacting others and has detailed knowledge coming from somewhere about junior teams I ask again why was this person suspended.
Are we truly saying that as long as he doesn't coach any junior member he can do what he likes. He can seek information, talk to them advise them about Congresses and “so on”. Is this what a suspension entails. So, when I said that Chess Scotland is doing absolutely nothing about his transgressions am I wrong. Clearly I am if we accept the President's definition of a suspension.
The whole intention of someone having their PVG cleared coaches status suspended is to keep him/her away from junior members during the period of the suspension. If the President views this persons current activities as free speech and general chess interest then we have to ask do we have a PVG policy worthy of the name. I think not.
So at the risk of leading a lynch mob I want the person named to protect junior members in line with a PVG policy we should be operating not the one we seem to be operating. It is not the role of the PVG policy to protect the guilty at the expense of the victims.
As I said Alan your view may be closer to the official Chess Scotland policy than mine in which case it is a sad indictment of the state of Scottish Chess.