Well, yes, and what I'm suggesting that we loosen the rules so that
what used to be discretion outside the rules can now be within the
rules, not that we stop admins deleting promotional material. In
general, I think that policy should describe, as well as proscribe,
the way things are done.
On 01/10/06, charles.r.matthews(a)ntlworld.com
<charles.r.matthews(a)ntlworld.com> wrote:
"David Mestel" wrote
I don't think that "implied
discretion" is a good idea long-term -
it's better to codify it in policy so that everything is consistent
and in the open. Apart from anything else, it's kind of inadvertantly
biting the newbies when stuff happens for reasons which aren't
explained.
Well, as for explanation, when deleting a page one is supposed to fill in a Reason box,
and something like 'promotional material' is a quite adequate explanation.
But your reply shows that (per David Gerard, and others of course), we have dialogues
here in two languages. Let's for the purposes of argument call them Wonkish and
Arbish.
In Wonkish, 'discretion' stands for certain grey and disreputable areas of
policy, where what should happen is not yet properly regulated. In Arbish, however, and I
speak here as an Arb with the publicly stated aim of keeping admins' discretion
something meaningful, you have always to look behind applications of policy to see
intention, and the application to the mission statement we have of writing the
encyclopedia.
In other words, discretion in Arbish is read as saying that pro-active admins are the
first, second and probably third lines of defence of the project. It is much better to
have them out there doing their best, and taking away the mop-and-bucket from a very few,
than doing up the constraints ever tighter, because it is felt that this pre-empts misuse
of admin powers.
This debate, of course, will run and run.
Charles
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