Robin, I agree completely with what you said. The suggestion, even from a small number within NCSG, that there was something wrong with NCSG taking a principled stance against the proposals, even as a lone voice in the wilderness, was something I never understood. One of the most powerful legal bodies in the world, the US Supreme Court, regularly publishes minority opinions in cases of significant disagreement. The GNSO must be willing to allow dissent within its ranks, not least because of the law of unintended consequences. A minority opinion may become the majority or even unanimous opinion, later once the consequences of a decision play out. Without that considered minority opinion being present in the minutes and on the record, backing away from bad decisions or, as in this case, the higher authority taking the minority opinion view, shows the importance of us sticking to our principles. This also holds within NCSG itself of course and where NPOC views differ from NCUC views for example, neither NCUC nor NPOC should be afraid of having an NPOC minority view on the record,s ave where the difference of opinion is very minor and pales into insignificance compared to the major portions of the issue under discussion. We must find common ground where we can but not let ourselves be silenced when our view is unpopular. -- Professor Andrew A Adams [log in to unmask] Professor at Graduate School of Business Administration, and Deputy Director of the Centre for Business Information Ethics Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan http://www.a-cubed.info/