[blml] have we really ......

[Grattan Endicott]

Grattan Endicott
grandeval at vejez.fsnet .co.uk
[also gesta at tiscali.co.uk]
****************************
"Nothing so needs reforming 
as other people's habits."
                             [Mark Twain]
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Eric Landau commented (July 30):
<I strongly suspect that there would be far 
less, if any, controversy  over or objection 
to L12C3 today if it were used only as 
the above correspondence suggests it was 
intended to be: as an "escape clause" to be 
invoked when "a literal application of the 
Law [12C2] will.prove grossly inequitable", 
rather than, as seems to be the case, as  
ACs' "first tool out of the bag".>
<
+=+ Eric must not be misled. The EBL 
position to be defended at the time was 
that score adjustments should return to 
each side its equity in the board. No  
punitive element was to be incorporated 
in an adjustment, this being a separate issue 
since the Law Book stated  
      "The Laws are not designed to prevent 
dishonourable practices, but rather to redress 
damage inadvertently done" and "The number 
of points assigned to the non-offending side 
should not exceed the number required to 
offset the irregularity. The number of points 
assigned to the offending side may be reduced 
by penalty points."   
    That is the remit I was given and what you 
read in my letter was a negotiating statement 
seeking to achieve just that in the face of the 
wish to change the principle.emanating from 
a potent voice on the Laws Committee. When 
the committee met, of the seven members and 
six guests present eleven showed themselves 
in favour of accedence to the EBL's request, 
one was against and one did not raise a hand. 
                        ~ Grattan ~   +=+


                       ~ Grattan ~   +=+