Protest

[Leggett]

Likewise. Was never gonna be a mass protest as nothing was organised.

[swindonmaniac]

Well….the protest fizzled out😁

Until we lose the next home game !!.

[@MacPhlea]

If you are looking for an organic stealth approach on protests then orange hats are the way to go until you get such numbers you achieve critical mass for more vocal protests.

The idea of the orange hat was to visualise, in numbers, the strength of feeling - if the number of orange hats grows because every person who wears one is visible to others who may have the same view and they join in.

My only concern with all of this is that, like most things these days, the club support becomes very polarised (our supporters are amongst the worst for polarising views) and the negative effect it can have unless you gain critical mass.

I don’t think we’re anywhere near gaining critical mass for a protest - I think (as do most others) that Clem has made some poor decisions, engaged some people who have chequered pasts and been economical with the truth when questioned but you find those things everyday in one form or another.

In addition, he is seen by many as a safer pair of hands than we have seen for a long time and we now own the ground.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the we need to hold Clem to account. I think we need to keep asking difficult questions and we need to ensure Clem knows (and for that matter any potential new owner) that we will audit their actions. But I don’t think we are nowhere near where we need to be for demonstrations or to start shouting Clem Out.

In today’s world it’s a lot easier to scrutinise.  We have the forum to keep asking questions, we have the internet to do research but our biggest challenge is keeping emotions in check - just because Clem may do something you don’t agree with it doesn’t make him a villain - we need to ensure our own confirmation bias doesn’t create something that doesn’t exist.

So rather that try and organise demonstrations, focus on finding evidence that gives you enough to PROVE his malicious intent; selling shares (or using them as security for a loan)that are owned by you isn’t a crime and he doesn’t have to tell anyone other than companies house that he has issued shares to anyone else.  MOST importantly collate them quietly (in the lounge) and expose them as a dossier rather finger point every time he does something that look suspicious otherwise it just makes us look like whinging cunts

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

This... 100%

[FreddySTFC!]

If you are looking for an organic stealth approach on protests then orange hats are the way to go until you get such numbers you achieve critical mass for more vocal protests.

The idea of the orange hat was to visualise, in numbers, the strength of feeling - if the number of orange hats grows because every person who wears one is visible to others who may have the same view and they join in.

My only concern with all of this is that, like most things these days, the club support becomes very polarised (our supporters are amongst the worst for polarising views) and the negative effect it can have unless you gain critical mass.

I don’t think we’re anywhere near gaining critical mass for a protest - I think (as do most others) that Clem has made some poor decisions, engaged some people who have chequered pasts and been economical with the truth when questioned but you find those things everyday in one form or another.

In addition, he is seen by many as a safer pair of hands than we have seen for a long time and we now own the ground.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the we need to hold Clem to account. I think we need to keep asking difficult questions and we need to ensure Clem knows (and for that matter any potential new owner) that we will audit their actions. But I don’t think we are nowhere near where we need to be for demonstrations or to start shouting Clem Out.

In today’s world it’s a lot easier to scrutinise.  We have the forum to keep asking questions, we have the internet to do research but our biggest challenge is keeping emotions in check - just because Clem may do something you don’t agree with it doesn’t make him a villain - we need to ensure our own confirmation bias doesn’t create something that doesn’t exist.

So rather that try and organise demonstrations, focus on finding evidence that gives you enough to PROVE his malicious intent; selling shares (or using them as security for a loan)that are owned by you isn’t a crime and he doesn’t have to tell anyone other than companies house that he has issued shares to anyone else.  MOST importantly collate them quietly (in the lounge) and expose them as a dossier rather finger point every time he does something that look suspicious otherwise it just makes us look like whinging cunts

This is a really good post with a number of valid points made. My only question is around 'The Lounge.' I remember asking about it a number of years ago & was never really given a proper answer.
It appears, from the outside looking in, a closed shop, with access only permitted to long standing members or those with influence within the forum.
For somebody like me, who is probably similar to many others who frequent this forum in that I live nowhere near Swindon, being able to access 'The Lounge' & contribute to the discussions that exist within is really important. This place, along with Twitter, is where I source all my news & discussion. Being part of 'The Lounge' would add real value to that as I completely appreciate that there will be certain things that people want to share but aren't comfortable with posting on a public platform, be that for a variety of reasons.

[STFC_Manc]

a very fair assessment

[Posh Red]

I mentioned to someone yesterday that there’s a group who mistrust Clem, whereas the vast majority will sit in the middle just wanting to watch football. The way things have been going that majority have started to shift towards those critical of Clem, but a few good results on the pitch and that will probably start to shift back.

Any protest needs to follow a run of poor results if you want to get that group involved.
My son is a prime example, we discuss this stuff on the way down. He isn’t on this forum and is very much in the try and ignore the off field stuff & try and enjoy the games

[Wobbly Bob]

Clem has provided answers of sorts to the questions about off field affairs with varying degrees of vagueness that left the waters no less muddy.
It's likely to be more of the same at the fans forum.

Wonder if it's even worth trying to pin him down on exactly when he would expect the club to gain promotion.
This is a football club after all so you'd think that would be foremost in his thoughts enough to be able to give an instantaneous & unequivocal answer.

[DiV]

I know I’m going over something I’ve said a lot recently but before we get to the actual protests we need to get a lot of educational material out because the ‘football only’ fans are still oblivious to things &  are taking things said at face value.

[Posh Red]

Clem has provided answers of sorts to the questions about off field affairs with varying degrees of vagueness that left the waters no less muddy.
It's likely to be more of the same at the fans forum.

He's a bit slimy when it comes to what he says, the 100% I own the club statement as an example (which is true) but not the I own 100% of the club which was what was being asked.

As someone said to me about a cheating husband when asked if he was sleeping with another woman and said no. When it turned out he had been seeing someone else said, I didn't lie, I wasn't sleeping.

[Jimmy HaveHave]

Until we lose the next home game !!.

You would think there would have been a few murmurs and a few chants even tho we won. There a danger were becoming too nice like the Fulham fans

[Legends-Lounge]

He's a bit slimy when it comes to what he says, the 100% I own the club statement as an example (which is true) but not the I own 100% of the club which was what was being asked.

As someone said to me about a cheating husband when asked if he was sleeping with another woman and said no. When it turned out he had been seeing someone else said, I didn't lie, I wasn't sleeping.

Right out of the Bill Clinton book of plausible denialability.

[4D]

There was a 'sack the board' chant from the Bradford fans, we joined in 

[Posh Red]

There was a 'sack the board' chant from the Bradford fans, we joined in 

Heard that in the DRS, couldn’t tell which set of fans were singing it 😂

[@MacPhlea]

This is a really good post with a number of valid points. My only question is around 'The Lounge.' I remember asking about it a number of years ago and was never really given a proper answer.
It appears, from the outside looking in, to be a closed shop, with access only permitted to long-standing members or those with influence within the forum.
For somebody like me, who is probably similar to many others who frequent this forum in that I live nowhere near Swindon, being able to access 'The Lounge' and contribute to the discussions that exist within is really important. This place, along with Twitter, is where I source all my news and discussion. Being part of 'The Lounge' would add real value to that, as I completely appreciate that there will be certain things that people want to share but aren't comfortable posting on a public platform, be that for a variety of reasons.

To be honest, its not a big thing; it's kind of like a TEF founder's section—nothing to get worked up about, but it does lead to the question of maybe having a private 'Verified' section—an area where verified members can contribute towards a common goal without the need to risk conversations being seen, misinterpreted, or shared by 'outsiders'....