Suresh, Thanks for your comments, I've responded below. If you would like to discuss this further, either on list or in private email, we can, of course, do so. "Suresh Ramasubramanian" wrote the following on 01/02/2011 02:38:
I am rather late to this thread as it was just drawn to my attention elsewhere.
1. Richard Cox's concerns were entirely valid, and the abuse issues documented at http://www.spamhaus.org/Sbl/listings.lasso?isp=RIPE - mostly PI / PA blocks, several as large as /15, can't be wished away by removing critics of this WG from a co-chair post.
The actions taken in Rome were in no way an attempt to wish away problems by removing Richard from a co-chair post. Richard is still more than welcome to participate in the RIPE community, just as he did before he was a co-chair. I do not intend to re-paste sections of the minutes here where the reasons are detailed, but this action was not brought about by one blog post, or simply criticism of the RIPE NCC.
2. I would echo Peter's concerns about this being brought up as AOB, discussed (or rather, not discussed) in overtime with very few people in the room, leading to the removal of a co-chair. A much wider consensus should have been obtained - at least by discussion on this list if not at the plenary.
The timing was less than ideal, but again, I stand by what I said at the meeting. In addition, the room has far more than 'very few people' in it during these proceedings. Please note that nobody actually objected to the proposal, only the timing.
This was not consensus. WG participants (and I count several who are in the anti abuse community, engage regularly with RIRs at other fora, but don't typically have the budget to travel to RIPE) should have been consulted before this.
Yes, nobody else had much to say about this removal, so I'll take this opportunity to comment.
Remote participation was possible, with a live video feed. This comment, some two months after RIPE 61, is the first comment that has been made about this. And while I am not in any way ignoring it I don't think it's unfair to say that it suggests the WG were either in support or ambivalent towards what happened?
About Richard Cox's removal and about two other meta issues.
First - the prevailing attitude I have seen from at least some participants (this is not "us vs them" in terms of routing / dns people vs abuse people .. you have colleagues in your own organizations who will disagree with your views - especially Shane, I won't speak for Paul Vixie but I am not at all sure he'd agree with you about your comment, even after its rephrase).
The AA-WG, like every WG, can only really work if participation comes from as many interested areas of the community as possible. Everyone has disagreements, as you say, but I never wish the impression to be given that people do not have a voice or are not wanted. As I said in Rome, I'm aware of the possible perception around what happened and I'm hoping the WG and I will be able to act to dispel them.
Second - the mantra, meme, fallacy etc of the "we are not the XYZ police" that I keep hearing cited. It would be fun indeed if a bank manager sanctioned a loan for say a quarter of a million dollars (lets say comparable to an allocation for a /15) and then baldly state that he's not the document police .. That presentation I saw discussed is what I'd call partially shutting the barn door long after the horses, plural, have bolted.
Things are, truly, never as simple as they seem. There are many aspects to that particular line, and hoping that the community, along with the NCC, can and are working to improve the situation.
That damage's been done, a lot of IP space has been poisoned. It is high time to realize that shooting the messenger is not the best way to deal with such a situation.
I will finish by restating that my reasons for this, and the reasons of those who discussed it with me, were not based on shooting the messenger, however it may look. I cannot, of course, empirically prove that, but I'm hoping that you may accept my word and that the actions of the WG both now and in the future will back that up. Brian.