Crikey!

Its all getting a bit "street" on here with people banging on about "Disrespec" Lol.

Now just to set some things straight and pop some things into perspective.

Firstly its not 1995 anymore, back then things were different 2CV's were cheap and the owners were a mixed bag of freewheeling yoof, Enviro's, Students on a shoestring, and poets with an engineering degree.

Those days are gone. Sorry but they are. The days of the £50 to you sir 2CV have left us.

Today we have people who had a 2CV as a yoof and have bought one to relive those good times. Their 2CV's mostly sit in a garage as a treasured possession maybe coming out a few times a year.

We do still have the "old Skool" 2CV'ers, still the mix of hippies, poets and madmen, looking a little greyer now, with kids or ex wives / husbands, wistfully remembering better times. Or who develop this 1000 yard stare and say "Rochefort 1998....you had to be there man...you just had to be there".

We also have serious classic car nuts who are quite happy to mainline Autoglym, get excited about trim and like any opportunity to show off their pride and joy.

Finally we have the speculators, I can always spot them as they open conversations with "I've found a 2CV, how much would that be worth?"

As a club we have to try and please all members and reg day has changed from a pop up 1 day event in a field to something rivalling a national meeting, but that actually manages to break even and sometimes make a profit (pouring money into SPOG to keep the cars on the road). All this and keeping the price to the member down and the same for the last 3 years.
For £15 this year you had 2 days camping, hot showers, flushing toilets, a bar, massive place to chillax filled with your mates and loads of old motors to see. Plus the usual game of who can punt a non existent car through to the trophies. Try that again Chapman and I'll make you drive your "Mehari" round the arena

When I took over R of R following Ben Waldron, I had inherited a pretty established thing. Since then I've done my best to give everyone something they wanted and I think I've made some pretty significant changes.

Improve our links with the rest of the classic car scene by inviting Guest clubs. Getting a bar and food on site, remember back to the Ferry Meadows days we had sod all just a field.

Getting the Archivist out of his dusty loft and into the Sunshine to show the membership some of the treasures we have and most importantly maintaining the grass roots stuff like each marque having a go to person, the Registrar, who can help with technical queries.

The voting bit and the trophies is a bit of fun, if you think we are serious and have our head up our own bum then you should trot over to a Porsche Club of Great Britian event. They put the A into Anal Retentive.

Reg day attendance numbers are actually going up, (save for the blip caused by bad weather last year) so I must be doing something right. It's meeting the need of what the members want and I've always been pretty open about changes. If the members tell me what they want I try and give it to them.

The thing is that despite my many talents, retro phrenology, disappearing beer tricks, and probably being a right royal pain in the arse to the committee with my laid back approach to organisation; I cannot and never have been able to read minds. If you don't tell me what you want, you aren't gonna get it.

I am after all, just a poet with an engineering degree, and a broken Ami.

I don't know what you mean.

So how many votes _did_ it get, then?

Not enough lol

Actually for my final Reg day next year I want something special.

I want 2CVGB's very own Solex Display team to wow the crowd. Or possibly a solex drag race over 200m, with a Le Mans Start.

So can all those people with a working Solex give me a shout and let me know if they would be up for it.

Oooh. Might have to get the 3800 engine built, then we can bring that and the 2200...

Get it fixed! It has to be done, I'm thinking coloured boiler suits as well. I might have to speak to Club Shop Rob and get some with an official back print. Like 2CVGB logo and Solex Display team. Misspelt on each one in true UDAC tradition. Something that would have made old Micky Playfor grin.

LOL

How about Solex Jousting with Baguettes?

And if that was a response to what I wrote you've missed the point.

You're point is that you don't like reg day because you are bored with it. Yet you haven't even suggested any alternative ideas and don't want to organise something else or get involved with any aspect of the event.

I2F as a guest club sponsored a shed trophy last year and an I2F member won the trophy; voted for by incidentally all your mates , I asked you if you wanted to have an I2F trophy again this year and you said you couldn't be arsed. I2F is welcomed as a presence at the event, yet you didn't fancy coming along.

However if attendance numbers are going up then the majority of 2CVGB members are really pleased with it, its a club event and its changed to meet the changing needs of the members. Its meeting the members requirements so what really is the point that you are trying to make? Its not like a random 2cv meeting you went to 20 years ago that wasn't registers day? That's like saying. I don't like this colour blue, its nothing like the colour green I liked 20 years ago.

If your arguement is that we as 2CVGB haven't been flexible to change things or the format then you haven't got the evidence to back your statement up as changes have been made. If its that 2CVGB isn't in touch with its members then the growing attendance figs and good feedback received from members on registers day knocks the arse out of that argument too.

So erm....kind of lost here can someone explain what the problem is.

Calm down.

Maybe attendance is up because there's not much else to go to?

I want making a personal attack, as I'm sure Max wasn't either. I suggested maybe instead of the same two events every year 'the club' took the initiative to try something new.

It appears to be the case that any such suggestion enrages its representatives who put two and two together, arrive at their answer of 'chrysanthemums' and blow their tops, clutching at unusual straws in attempts to launch a full scale 'OMG YOU BASTARDS, KILL, SCREAM ROAR' rant, shooting off at some wild tangents.

I don't understand why everybody has to have the desire to run a world meeting singlehandely before they're allowed to make suggestions or express an opinion.

Here's how it works every time. Somebody says something like:

'Im not sure I like or agree with XYZ'

Then the response is always:

'Well sort it out yourself'


When I join a club, organisation or group which I pay for, I expect some sort of hierarchy which, woven into its fabric expresses a desire to move with the times and take constructive critisism on board without lashing out at those who offer it. I don't expect to pay my subs only to be told to fuck off and do it yourself or wind your neck in.

I realise no enthusiasts club can entertain its members the way we were entertained by the racing community this weekend. However, one conversation I had with one of their directors where I made a couple of suggestions was met with open minded discussion, not a pig headed refusal to accept anything other than the status quo, nor was I told that until I was doing their job I could poke it.

One can surely see my reluctance to join such an organisation.