-- a much delayed and highly abbreviated Official Bulletin from the European Administrator: Kevin Smith, 53 Altrincham Road, Gatley, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 4EL, England. It has been much delayed for reasons of apathy, lethargy, hardly ever being at home, making plans for getting married, etc. It is much abbreviated because I have about an hour to catch the post with this stencil. Those are excuses not reasons, as my old boss used to say.
The main reason for this issue is to announce the closing date for nominations for the next TAFF race to take a European to the USA. The fact that nominations are open was announced by me verbally on several occasions since Albacon 2, but not in writing. Cough.
Nominations close on 31st October 1983.
This means that campaigning can begin at Novacon a few days later, to run until the next Eastercon or thereabouts. The exact closing date for voting will be announced later. (It will, honest.)
Prospective candidates require the following:
i) Two North American and three European nominators. A nominator should have active in fandom for a couple of years, or even been active in fandom for a couple of years. He or she must provide a bit of paper saying "I nominate xxxxx for TAFF", sign it and send it to me, either directly or via the candidate.
ii) A 'posting of bond'. This is vaguely akin to an election deposit, and is intended to confirm your interest and faith in TAFF. What you do is donate £5 to TAFF, or persuade your nominators to cough up a quid each...
iii) A 'platform' of up to 100 words, no more. This will be published on the TAFF ballot form. The words are up to you. They are intended to persuade voters of your many virtues and socially desirable vices which make you the ideal TAFF delegate.
iv) Various solemn promises. The most important is, if elected, to make the TAFF trip. Acts of God may be deemed sufficient excuse not to. The elected person also takes on the not too vast burden of TAFF Administration until his or her successor is elected, during which time he or she will make various fund raising efforts, organise elections, count ballots, and so forth. There is also the little matter of a TAFF Trip Report which delegates make Every Effort to write. (We do! We do!)
So, prospective candidates, that's how you do it. Get those nominations, bonds, platforms and promises to me immediately.
People whose names have been mentioned in connexion with candidature so far are Rob Hansen, Simon Ounsley and D. West. It must be said, though, that D. West has not himself mentioned it -- not to me, anyway.