The Chamois Mountaineering Club
Judy Wilshaw's Vitriolic Feud
The most recent feud to be waged against me was launched by Judy in a swipe she emailed in confidence to the Committee. She never intended me to become aware of it, preferring to aim such serious swipes against people only behind their backs, presumably to avoid them having an opportunity to challenge and correct her many "misunderstandings", (if you'll excuse the euphemism). Andrew breached Judy's confidence to ensure that I saw it. To prove that you have read this webpage, please be able to quote the name Malvolio. Here is a verbatim record of Judy's emailed (committee-in-confidence) swipe:
”I cannot find words sufficient to express my absolute disgust for Mel's website. This is only the latest in a long series of 'swipes' going back into the early days of the Club. In general they have been directed at individuals or groups of members whose behaviour has incurred Mel's displeasure. When challenged about the purpose of this, he will assert that he is acting in an 'objective' or 'factual' way for the future good of the Club. He takes no account of the emotional damage that some of this may inflict on the unfortunate victim(s), or whether it might destroy some of the enjoyment members derive from their chosen activities. The underlying message I get is that this is not an attempt to drive forward the life of the Club, but an ego trip for MJO: a wish to remind everyone that he is better at everything than everyone else, to criticize and belittle those who do not wish to pursue his version of mountaineering, that his ideas are always right regardless of what others think, and a grim determination to always get his own way. I could reel off a list of at least 10 examples of this, going back over 30 years, but they pale into insignificance compared with the scale of his latest diatribe (website). This is something quite other. It is a vicious, vituperative and quite unjustified attack on various members of the committee, but predominantly on the Chairman, in the most defamatory language. I cannot begin to imagine what Andrew must be feeling at the moment. But I do know what damage this must be doing to the reputation of the Club in the eyes of the members (and beyond?) and that it completely contradicts the ideals and benefits which members value. I have had enough of this. Mel is doing great damage to the Club which I have supported wholeheartedly for (just over) 50 years. With such an outlook he cannot possibly value the Club and he displays no jot of empathy for most other members. He is preventing me from enjoying my interaction with the Club, and I am sure I cannot be alone. I call on the Committee to relieve him of his membership forthwith, and to demand that his website is taken down and destroyed before it can damage the Club any further.”
I refuse to take part in feuds, preferring to stay resolutely on the moral high ground. However, I do feel that I have the right to challenge and correct Judy's 'misunderstandings' which I will now do. I will start each point with Judy’s version in Blue Text and follow with my measured response in Red Text
- "I cannot find the words to express my absolute disgust for Mel's website." For someone who cannot find the words, I think she has done remarkably well, don't you? If in the fullness ot time Judy does find the words, I would be delighted to publish them here for all members to enjoy.
- "This is only the latest in a long series of 'swipes' going back to the early days of the Club." I can only assume that a 'swipe' is defined as standing up to Judy's usual technique of ear-bending everyone into accepting her personal point of view on any and every topic. Many members long ago adopted the technique of pretending not to disagree with her, solely to escape. Should a secret ballot ever be held in the Club to decide which of the two of us, Judy or Mel, is the most likely to try to impose their own personal views on other members, we all know who would undoubtedly win by a large majority, don't we?
- "In general, they have been directed at individuals or groups of members whose behaviour has incurred Mel's displeasure." In general, Judy's 'swipes' have been directed at individuals or groups of members who have failed to agree with her. I have no recollection of any instance when individuals or groups of members have incurred my displeasure. I am far too laid back for anyone to really displease me, but Judy has come very close to it with her swipe publicised here. (see Footnote)
- “When challenged about the purpose of this, he will assert that he is acting in an 'objective' or 'factual' way for the future good of the Club." All members should feel perfectly entitled to hold views that differ from those held by Judy. I have no recollection of ever receiving the sort of challenge that Judy has here referred to, nor of asserting that I was acting in an 'objective' or 'factual' way for the future good of the Club. They are not expressions I would ever use. This is pure fiction, added for dramatic effect. (see Footnote)
- “He takes no account of the emotional damage that some of this might inflict on some of the unfortunate victims, or whether it might destroy some of the enjoyment members derive from their chosen activities." Judy takes no account of the emotional damage that some of this might inflict on some of her unfortunate victims, or whether it might destroy some of the enjoyment members derive from their chosen activities.
- "The underlying message I get is that this is not an attempt to drive forward the life of the Club, but an ego trip for MJO: a wish to remind everyone that he is better at everything than everyone else, to criticize and belittle those who do not wish to pursue his version of mountaineering, that his ideas are always right regardless of what others think, and a grim determination to always get his own way." The underlying message I get is that this is not an attempt to drive forward the life of the Club, but an ego trip for Judy: a wish to remind everyone that she is better at everything than everyone else, to criticize and belittle those who do not wish to pursue her version of mountaineering, that her ideas are always right regardless of what others think, and a grim determination to always get her own way. A good example of her ego trips was her recent insistence in having her multi-page pet vanity project printed and posted at great expense to each member.
- "I could reel off a list of at least 10 examples of this, going back over 30 years… " If she can, then I am sure that each and every one of you must be able to do the same; but you cannot, any more than she can, since she is just indulging in vituperative malevolence. My original website invited Judy to reel off her list of "at least 10 examples", so that I could publish them here for all to enjoy. She has yet to take up the offer, which is still open.
- “…but they pale into insignificance compared with the scale of his latest diatribe (website). This is something quite other. It is a vicious, vituperative and quite unjustified attack on various members of the committee, but predominantly on the Chairman, in the most defamatory language.” This vicious, vituperative and quite unjustified attack by Judy may be clearly seen as totally unfounded by anyone who had carefully studied the contents of my website. All I had done was:
[1] To re-state facts that the Committee themselves had already placed into the members' domain, followed by a meticulously detailed analysis of them, striving to objectively challenge the revealed facts rather than specific individuals. Inevitably, this has revealed blatant wrong-doing that has served to bring these members into disrepute. So be it. It is their own actions that have brought them into disrepute, not me.
[2] To provide an honest account of the long-standing feud that the Club has allowed Andrew Jackman to wage against me.
Both the contents and my phraseology have remained the same. It is high time that members read what I actually wrote, not what others have erroneously led them to believe to further their own ends.
- "I cannot begin to imagine what Andrew must be feeling at the moment." I can! In my presence Andrew wears a smirk of victory, not a frown. This smirk reveals that he has been feeling quite upbeat in recent months, since without any challenge to his version of events, he successfully convinced the 2014 AGM that it was I who had been causing the feud between us. This swipe of Judy's must have been manna from heaven for Andrew, giving him exactly the ammunition he needed in his feud to turn his committee acolytes into a hanging jury. In a cunning move to protect himself, Andrew then ensured that he would be succeeded as Chairman by the one member who would not countenance any disciplinary actions being taken against Judy, since he has rightly concluded that if Judy is safe, then so is he.
- "But I do know what damage this must be doing to the reputation of the Club in the eyes of the members (and beyond?); and that it completely contradicts the ideals and benefits which members value." For once, Judy and I are in complete agreement.
- "I have had enough of this." The rest of the members have had more than enough of it, too, Judy, so please back off and give us all a much-needed break from your seemingly never-ending torrent of verbal swipes
- "Mel is doing great damage to the Club which I have supported wholeheartedly for (just over) 50 years." I, too,have wholeheartedly supported the Club for more than 50 years. All of the damage that has been done, has been done by Andrew Jackman and his compliant and complicit Committee, and most recently by Judy Wilshaw.
- "With such an outlook he cannot possibly value the Club and he displays no jot of empathy for most other members." With such an outlook Judy cannot possibly value the Club and she displays no jot of empathy for most other members.
- “He is preventing me from enjoying my interaction with the Club, and I am sure I cannot be alone." This is nothing more than meaningless verbosity, added for effect.
- "I call on the Committee to relieve him of his membership forthwith… " Since Judy was allowed, and even encouraged, to get away with making this request, there can be no objection from anyone if I follow her example and request that Judy be relieved of her membership forthwith. You will note that nothing that I have ever said or published comes anywhere near to the level of grossly offensive vituperation released by Judy. Furthermore, the only way to terminate a Life Membership is to terminate a life.
- " …and to demand that "his website" is taken down and destroyed before it can damage the Club any further." To start with, I am the only one who can take down and destroy my own websites. I would need to be persuaded, not ordered to do so. Judy's man-management skills are not up to such a task. More importantly, to which of my websites did she refer? She clearly revealed to all that she had not fully studied them, or she would have known that from long before she wrote I have owned and managed three mountaineering-related websites. She clearly hadn't done her homework: (see Footnote)
Footnote. If in a body of work such as Judy's swipe, analysed above, there is just one statement that is obviously untrue, the whole swipe loses all credibility, as does its author.
Please note:
If Judy had not swiped me, and Andrew had not alerted me to it, then none of this would have been published. I am therefore grateful to Andrew for ensuring that Judy's (committee-in-confidence) email reached me.
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
Matthew 4:20.
"They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind."
Hosea 8:7.
Eddie WIlshaw originally distanced himself from Judy's swipe recounted above, but was subsequently 'persuaded' to characterise her words as completely in order, with my response to Judy being wholly unwarranted and vituperative. Oh, what a surprise!
And Finally
If the flimsy case to suspend my membership has been considered just cause to do so, there must surely an infinitely stronger case to permanently terminate the membership of Judy Wilshaw for contributing so eloquently to all of this mayhem.
The View of the Committee
The Committee, through the Chairman, was invited to answer the following question when they met on the 25th of April: "Does the Committee agree that I have been the victim of a vituperative and vexatious personal feud waged against me by Judy Wilshaw, or does it think that everything Judy wrote was fair comment and that it is only I who has been waging a vituperative feud?"
The Committee met on the 25th of April, but ignored this question completely. They are unwilling to condemn Judy and yet unable to justify her swipe.
Judy Wilshaw may have the Last Word
Judy may use the opportunity provided here in any way she wishes, such as:
- Either to convincingly justify the tone and content of her swipe;
- Or to totally, sincerely and contritely withdraw her swipe, with not a hint of self-justification, backed by a solemn promise to reform;
To ensure an acceptable balance of views, anything emailed to me by Judy for publication here will be added verbatim and unabridged in place of this paragraph. Should Judy not take up this offer, it will indicate that she is both unable to justify the tone and content of her swipe and unwilling to withdraw it.
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