These are good observations, Avri. The last point you make: 

> Which made me curious about their commitment to membership

Is precisely why we must insist that the organizations themselves apply for membership, and not do it through a proxy or aggregator. 
It is not difficult for someone with resources to go out and gin up a list of organizations that they say are interested in membership. If I had the time, I could come up with a list of 50-or so new organizations that I think "ought" to join NCSG and they might even express a vague interest in joining when I talk to them on the phone or at a meeting. But unless that organization cares enough to submit its own organization through the proper channels, it is not a real application. I am not accusing anyone of fake applications, I am just saying that they have to do the work of applying themselves.

From the beginning of ICANN people have expressed concerns about how civil society representation in multistakeholder institutions raises the risk of manipulation by interested parties in the guise of civil society entities. That is an important and real concern, and our membership admission procedures must take it into account. As an NCSG Executive Committee member, I will oppose any new member admission that does not come from the organization's own representative. 

--MM

> -----Original Message-----
> From: NCSG-Discuss [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> Of Avri Doria
> Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 3:55 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [NCSG-Discuss] for Debbie: Explaining votes made while
> representing NCSG while on GNSO Council
> 
> On 14 Oct 2011, at 15:43, Alain Berranger wrote:
> 
> > Since NCUC leadership is controlling NCSG (approval of NPOC members and
> its impact on the election process, travel allocation issues, etc...) there is not
> much space for NPOC to debate.
> 
> 
> I beleive this is a false statement.
> 
> The NCSG-EC is composed of both NCUC and NPOC.
> Yes they have yet to learnt to work together, but the NCUC is not controlling
> the NCSG.
> 
> Even the previous NCSG-EC had an NPOC member on it.
> 
> And I have been trying to get the NPOC members to join the NCSG for over a
> year, but most refused to do so until they got their constituency.
> And further, on the vote, of the NPOC members who had been accepted as
> members, only a few ever bothered to check in, hence like most of the
> NCUC inactive members, cannot vote.  This has NOTHING to do with the
> NCSG-EC or allegations of prejudice by NCUC.
> 
> Which made me curious about their commitment to membership.
> 
> In my opinion the only reason NPOC is not involved in the debate is because
> the NPOC has not bothered to involve itself in the debate.
> 
> avri