Ann: Chairman's Address and Presentation to AGM, page-123

Firstly I base my view on the Diasource situation from a direct chat with GC at the AGM years ago, (the one when you sat next to me) and he mentioned it to me as an aside. Nothing that I recall being discussed on the topic at this AGM. (Which definitely was one of the weirder official events I've ever attended. The hostility was palpable. Some people who knew me pretended not to, but that was the least of it.)

Secondly, yes there was genuine surprise. I have some preliminary views on this but not prepared to share them right now.

A bit hostile? Listen, I'm here for a frank exchange of opinion. Tone is something that is easily mistaken in chat, as you have experienced yourself. I'm filing your suggestions with all the others.

People so often seem to have a lot of advice on how I should conduct myself. I find this peculiar and I think it's in part to do with the fact that many posters know I'm female and have met me. With that is the expectation that I should be a people-pleaser, just like nice females should be.

I've been told to keep it "light and fluffy" for instance, in a memorable post a long time back, but still fresh in my mind.

Who else ever gets that specific 'advice'? It's always when I'm landing a target that's getting uncomfortable for someone.

Yet while I get loads of advice on my conduct, yours included, I've received all manner of insults in here, both direct and indirect. In fact at times it's been suggested I should be shut down. Some made sure I got binned for a short period which I then voluntarily extended. People congratulated themselves that I deserved this and muttered threats to others that would also happen to them if they continued to speak out.

I mean, seriously?
What I don't appreciate is the idea that at some point in the discussion, some bloke comes in and says the discussion should stop, because they don't like the direction it's taking. (Either contribute to it, or ignore it. The choice is simple.) But all this is ok because a bloke has said it, I suppose.

Finally I'm not trying to build anything. What we should have here on the basis that this is a chat room, is open discussion. What we often get is something else.