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MAG AGC - MANIFESTOS
Nominations for officers to be elected by the Annual Group Conference shall close on the last working day of December. (Friday 29th December 2006)
Officers Elected by the Group Conference
The National Chairman
National Finance Officer
National Clubs Liaison Officer
Directorship
National Network Communications Officer
Manifesto for the position of Chairman of the Motorcycle Action Group
Jane Chisholm
Membership Number: 106527
Hi, I’m Jane Chisholm, BA (hons), currently Chair of MAG UK. I work in education as a teacher in a secure unit for children with behaviour problems and live in Jackson Bridge, West Yorkshire.
Throughout my life the constant theme has been bikes and I currently ride a Harley 883 Custom Sportster, XL53 C. My biking travels have taken me through most of the touring roads in the UK and Europe and it is this love and pleasure and the wish to continue to enjoy it for many a year that drives me to promote and defend riders rights in our own country through MAG UK.
My style is definitely a hands on approach. I was Yorkshire Regional Rep for three years and through the local group expansion plan extended the region to 10 groups and over 1300 members.
Between 2004 and 2006 I coordinated efforts in putting on the Yorkshire Pudding Rally which approaches its fourth year and has already made approximately £25,000 for MAG.
Between 2004 and 2005 as Vice Chair of MAG UK I worked on re-establishing training weekends to equip our activists with the knowledge and skills to help them engage effectively. Uniting the efforts of individual members is the key of our organisation and I believe that it is imperative to have a hands on approach to keep in touch with the grass roots membership in the UK. We have a wealth of talented volunteers and employees who give their hard work and dedication.
We need their support in order to rally our members but to do that it is imperative that the leadership of MAG UK is ever present and receptive to the advice and expertise of these people. As a dedicated member, I recognise that MAG UK is a democratic organisation, therefore it is imperative that all actions must follow procedures as laid out in the constitution and the Chair must be accountable to the members at all times.
The nature of my work in education means I have developed and use skills in: planning; forward thinking; organising; problem solving; communication and team building. In my role as Vice Chair, and Chair I believe that I have brought these skills to benefit MAG UK.I have worked for several years at local, regional and national level and feel I have valid experience and perspective of the organisation as a whole.
In April 2006, as Chair of MAG UK, I started work with Directors of MAG UK the NC and Staff at Central. Our initial work was to take stock of exactly where the organisation was and to make movement towards improving the structure and efficiency. These areas include communication, political planning, business plans, supporting the membership and recruitment. Work is in progress in all these areas and you will have a full report at conference.
I want what is best for MAG and I believe I have demonstrated this by giving time, commitment and dedication. The role of Chairman is demanding and requires constant attention and dialogue.
Furthermore I believe that the chair cannot work in isolation, but as part of a team. There is still much work to do in the year ahead.
For these reasons I will be standing for the position of Chair of MAG UK at the April AGC 2007 and I ask you for your continued support.
Proposed by Sheila McMahon
Membership number: 120584
Seconded by Paul Turner
Membership number: 116205
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Manifesto for the position of National Finance Officer
Justine Travis
Membership Number: 97513
I hate preparing a manifesto for AGC, it is definitely the worst part of the role and an annual dread and each year it gets more difficult to say something new. If I can work out a good formula I could be like 'Only Fools and Horses' and repeat it annually.
I have been National Finance Officer and a Director of MAG UK since 2004, during my time I have seen MAG grow in the expertise and commitment from its volunteers shown by the great results from the fighting fund donations. In recent years this has enabled us to grow the organisation with the appointment of a Campaigns Manager and we are no longer reliant on temporary staff for peak periods, this has meant more continuity and we now have the luxury of looking ahead to see where MAG needs to go in the future.
One of the key initiatives has to be to increase membership, there is no magic formula for getting people to join and there is no way to see what finally makes someone sign up, maybe the possibility of Fergus leaving them alone is enough. We need to look ahead and make MAG such a strong image bikers can't avoid it and feel they have to join. We are still great value for money and I would never like to see us grow complacent and not have to get the biggest bang for our buck and I see ensuring that as part of my role.
For anyone new into MAG or who has never attended the AGC before it is always hard to vote in complete strangers so a bit of personal info may help. I passed my test in 1994 and am the resident National Committee 'scooter girl' as I ride a Honda Silverwing 600cc scooter, I also have a Suzuki TU250 chosen when I heard it regularly featured on polls of ugly bikes but I like it. My day job is managing budgets as an IT Project Manager which has helped me in the Finance role, but what has been of far more use is being married to a Yorkshire man, 'NO you can't spend that' has long been a familiar phrase and has come in very handy. One of the major highlights of the role for me is being presented with large cheques for no effort on my part and I hope I always accept them with the correct amount of dignity, hugs and kisses are only awarded to 5 figures.
I now ride my bike less but know more people than ever and I hope I have made some life long friendships, but above all I can feel I am doing something worthwhile to help protect the lifestyle we have all chosen.
To summarise, my outstanding qualifications for being voted in as National Finance Officer :-
Stupid enough to want to do it
Clever enough to add up
Too stupid to cheat
Proposed by Archi Hipkins
Membership Number: 90809 Life
Seconded by Sheila McMahon
Membership Number: 120584
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Manifesto for the position of National Clubs Liaison Officer
Fergus O'Connell
Membership Number: 25618
I have now been the clubs officer again for 16 months. After this years AGC the harbingers of doom thought we would lose many of our clubs after we had to change the format of the PLI scheme (Public Liability Insurance). This has not been the case. Our affiliated membership is pretty much at the same level as last year. There are several clubs still to renew, which may sound surprising but it is all down to their AGM's and the timing of. However the level of interest is beginning to rise and I am sure that we will see a significant uplift in numbers in 2007.
During the last year I have been pretty busy. I have visited as many clubs as I can. I have also attended several of our affiliated clubs AGM's and given a speech to them. Our fight is all about getting the message out there in an informative way. People are very surprised to hear the sheer scope of our activities and the measures of our success. I have also worked on quite a few stalls.
The highlight of the year for me was when I visited Polar Cycles (Stez of Stez Sez fame). Stez and Billy had set a club up that operates out of the shop and I understood they were keen on affiliation. When I turned up, they signed up on mass. Twenty one members in one night (thanks lads and lasses).
It has taken me a little while to get back into the post and I hope I reflect the confidence given me by the members in voting me in last year. I have been in contact with numerous clubs over the last year both on a personal and electronic basis and whilst our affiliate numbers remain steady I expect these numbers to rise over the next year.
One of the key things I have worked upon is feedback from the clubs to create a more inclusive relationship. Instead of stumping up their money once a year and simply being affiliate members, I want the clubs to realise they are part of a movement that will strive to protect their way of life and preserve it for the future generations. I believe the club pages in The Road reflect the beginning of this relationship, which is vital to us all.
The strength of the biking community lies in its clubs, whether it is a foggy night in January with a few lads having a pint down the local or a full blooded ride out in June. Bikers/motorcyclists are sociable creatures and lets face it everyone likes to belong. Even the loners like to belong somewhere along the line.
For 2007 we are to have our own club village at The Farmyard Party, this continues my ideas of inclusion. Welcome one and all whether ye be affiliate or full member. I did mention last year that it is impossible to quantify how important our affiliate clubs were for individual membership. My experience this year has underlined this belief and I hope the given the chance I will help to build upon it.
This coming year presents a number of challenges for the whole rider’s rights movement. You can rest assured that MAG and its representatives will be at the forefront of the fight to come.
'Never in the field of human transport have so many been represented by so few'
Goodnight
Proposed by Tony Cox
Membership Number: 114555
Seconded by Mick Musson
Membership Number: 117657
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Manifesto for the position of National Network Liaison Officer 2007
Archi Hipkins
Membership Number: 90809 Life
I have been involved in communication at inter and intra organisational levels for a number of years, both professionally and within MAG UK. For the past two and a half years, I have used this experience in my role as National network Communications Officer.
This has also meant being involved with the setting up of another fund raising event for MAG in Whitley Bay which is aimed at being an annual event. Additionally heavily involved with MAG Energy; a programme aimed at involving pre adults in MAG as they are very much the future.
Network remains one of MAG UK's most effective tools of communication. I believe this must continue and be developed further.
Network over the last year has been tweaked in format which has received positive feedback from members. Many of the adjustments have been asked for by the NC for the good use and benefit of MAG UK and by continuing in this role; which I believe requires thoughtful presentation of facts, I will endeavour to increase its take up in the interests of all MAG UK members and of other organisations that have the same philosophy.
Therefore, I will continue to work alongside the NC and authors of submitted articles to present a balanced and honest briefing document. In striving for that I do not align Network with any political party. Finally, I will continue to maintain the register of reps. in liaison with Central Office and be involved in reps. training sessions.
Proposed by Fergus O'Connell
Membership Number: 25618
Seconded by Ian Cook
Membership Number: 106476
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Manifesto for the position of Directorship of MAG (UK) Ltd.
Steve Wykes
Member Number: 89454 Life
I have been a member of the board of MAG (UK) Ltd. since June 2006 and am seeking ratification from this AGC.
Having been on the National Committee as regional rep for Scotland for four years I am acutely aware of the importance of the business side of MAG in helping ensure a sound financial framework. Healthy finances are essential to fund our research, political and campaigns work effectively and provide the background of informed argument that so much of our political lobbying is dependant upon. Without adequate funding MAG would still be fighting from the fringes of the political sphere rather than from the heart of the decision making process.
MAG has for many years sought to ensure that members’ contributions are wisely spent and that commercial arrangements provide not only good benefits to our members but help fund riders rights. That we have been successful in that endeavour is demonstrated by our influence in key decision making bodies which is consistently far in excess of other organisations whose resources should have guaranteed far greater political clout. This is in no small way due to the backing and initiative of MAG's grass roots activists. I hope that my background as a long standing regional rep and activist in Edinburgh and District MAG for the last ten years will enable me to ensure that the necessary tools and support are available to encourage continued active involvement by ordinary MAG members.
Away from MAG in my day job I am systems engineer in a large hi-tech manufacturing company that specialises in airborne radar and avionics systems, working on projects which require not only sound engineering solutions, but require a good understanding of financial constraints and costs as well as a systematic approach to project management and the ability to present technical arguments in support of modification programs.
I would like to think that my background within MAG and engineering would be an asset to the board of MAG (UK) Ltd. and to furthering the aims and objectives of MAG.
Proposed by Gerard Livett
Membership Number 92282
Seconded Fergus O' Connell
Membership Number: 25618
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A copy of MAG’s Constitution is available Here word document.
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