Keeping to the rules

Site: CotH, Section: Hackery, Page: Rules.

This is why you should never ask Steering to disregard the rules. They might get irritated enough to do it.

Scene: A Council Meeting

Chair:Any questions on the Steering report?
Rules Revision Member:Why isn't the motion to add a full stop to the end of SO K 3.7.2 in?
Clerk:It was ruled out of order due to late submission. It'll be discussed at next Council.
Rules Revision Member:Okay.
President:That's ridiculous and unnecessary bureaucracy. It was only a couple of hours late.
Clerk:The rules state that SO changes cannot be emergency business. They therefore must be submitted by the stated deadline.
President:Can you just ignore that rule this time? It'd make things so much easier.
Clerk:We can't and shouldn't ignore the rules.
President:Stop being obstructive. There's no good reason this shouldn't be discussed.
Clerk:Suit yourself. Let's get this over with and discuss it now.
Chair:Proposer for the motion?
Rules Revision Member:It's just basic tidying up. Please pass it.
Chair:Any questions?
Chair:No? Can we take this on a general aye?
All:Aye!
Chair:Good. Can we move to announcements now?
Clerk:I'm afraid not. We've just this second received a motion of No Confidence in the President!
President:Is that allowed?!
Clerk:Not by the rules, but since, at your request, we're ignoring the emergency business restrictions, we'll allow it.
Chair:Okay. Speech in proposition, then?
SRO:Formally.
President:Oh, you're proposing it!
Chair:Any formal opposition?
President:Yes! This is absurd! It's ridiculous! It's insane!
Chair:Any questions?
Clerk:I'm afraid we've run out of time on this debate, we'll have to move to a vote.
Chair:Oh, okay. All those in favour?
Chair:All those against?
SRO:Okay, we make this two votes for, and seventy votes against, therefore the motion passes.
Chair:You mean fails, surely?
SRO:No, we're ignoring the requirement for a majority for now.
Chair:Can you do that?
SRO:The ex-President thinks we can ignore rules. So we are.
ex-President:Hey, I'm not ex-President yet.
Clerk:Yes you are, you've been no confidenced.
Senior Rep:This is silly. You've made your point. Can we get on with the meeting?
Clerk:Okay.
Chair:Right. Reports of Officers. The President.
Clerk:Point of Order, we don't have a President at the moment.
ex-President:Yes we do!
Clerk:You've been no confidenced, go away.
ex-President:Aaaargh! Kill them!
Bulky Goon:No you don't! Thwack
ex-PresidentOw! Ow! Ow!
Council:Where did he come from?!
Clerk:We hired him.
Finance Committee Chair:Don't you need our approval for that sort of spending?
Clerk:Well, the rules say we do, but we ignored that.
Finance Committee Chair:Okay. Can I have one too?
Clerk:I suppose so.
Finance Committee Chair:Right. Now, where's the Treasurer gone?
Treasurer:Help! I resign!
Clerk:You can't resign. It's only allowed by the rules.
ex-President:Okay, I'm sorry. I get the point!
Clerk:Right, okay. Procedural motion to go back in time to the middle of Item 1.
Junior Rep:Point of Order: Is there such a procedural motion?
Clerk:No. But we'll ignore that for now.
Chair:Can we take this procedural motion on a general aye?
All:Aye!
Chair:Are there any questions on the Steering report?
Rules Revision Member:Why isn't the motion to add a full stop to the end of SO K 3.7.2 in?
Clerk:It was ruled out of order due to late submission. It'll be discussed at next Council.
Rules Revision Member:Okay.
Chair:Any announcements?
Chair:Right. Reports of Officers. The President.
President:I've recently been having this strange sense of dejá vù. It almost seems like I shouldn't be here. Anyway, since I wrote that report, I've ...........
Site: CotH, Section: Hackery, Page: Rules.

Inspired by the archives.