Orchestrating a LibDem Town Group Conciliation Meeting, but without Michael, and getting Della update after Diana had seen Mr Vaughan-Lane again (who had come round with his complete team to examine Della) and learnt that she would have a general anaesthetic after which the leg would be straightened and adjusted before being encased in a plaster that would come up to her chest.
I was slow to awake today and, it being very wet and windy, had to scramble to get showered and dressed in time to take Debbie to the bus stop. In the end, we arrived there in time and before the actual bus arrived. Returned home and then embarked on calls to Sally and Percy which ended up with them both coming over to my house to revue Michael's letter and what to do about it. He had stated his decisions to resign as chairman of the St Neots & District Liberal Democrats and from its committee and to no longer attend Town and District Council Group Meetings.
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There seemed little chance of him attending the crisis meeting which was now planned for this evening, but we decided to go ahead with it anyway. In the meantime, I suggested that we each write to Michael on the different aspects of the situation: Sally being disappointed that the matter could not be brought to her or a group meeting rather than first to Celia Chignell and that she was not being given the chance to sort it out; Percy to make the point that his main object was to stop the matter from escalating still further, that Ross had received the criticism aimed at him as a salutary experience and that they would both live with the Town Council Group post-analysis of events; and I trying to secure Michael's participation in District Group Affairs on the basis that these matters should not be allowed to spill over into there.
We also agreed to show the rest of the group (including Ross and Mike if they turned up) all of the letters to keep things open and democratic. I had Derek on the telephone as well who was intent on trying to go and talk to Michael to see if he could be swayed from such a dramatic response and, after spending time at the hospital in the afternoon, I went along to the meeting in the evening and found out that Derek was still with Mike. Everyone except Michael and Geoff Morris had managed to come and I arranged for Percy to take the chair at Sally's invitation after which the first order of business was for me to present the reasons for adopting Group Standing Orders and Procedures under which at least this meeting could be held and that could be adopted (with or without modifications) for the group to use in avoiding repeat occurrences of such problems.
This went all right and then the meeting was thrown open for comment on the events and issues that lead to the confrontation. Just about everyone was critical of Ross and, to his credit, he accepted the comments bravely and was receptive and conciliatory about them. He was shocked and surprised over the whole business and, whilst saying that he was not the only one to blame, he for one was prepared to admit his errors and be bound by the newly-agreed procedures for pre-scrutiny of press releases and adherence to group policy. I got the group to agree a policy of not financing European co-operative projects from Town Council funds and then for Ross to withdraw his notice questions that caused Michael the embarrassment.
He would also be writing to Michael to apologise and offer an olive branch in the hope of soliciting a reciprocal response. This accomplished, I set off to relieve Diana at the hospital again and sat up quite late with Della who was rather excited at the prospect of her plaster and coming home. This morning, Diana had seen Mr Vaughan-Lane again (who had come round with his complete team) and had signed the consent to the work that would be done as the first operation on Thursday. She would have a general anaesthetic after which the leg would be straightened and adjusted before being encased in a plaster that would come up to her chest. We will have to find out just what this would entail by way of recovery thereafter but the time in the plaster would be about four to six weeks.