AGM thoughts

As I was listening to the radio on my way home from work on the 25th May, some important person commented that Democracy results in peace and wealth. The phrase struck a real chord with me and I reflected on it repeatedly as we had the BMT AGM that evening.
I think that having an annual general meeting of all the members of the company is a really important part of our commitment to democracy. It allows everyone in the company to engage with the future direction of the organisation, ask questions in an open forum and to challenge decisions that have been made.
But it seems that this essential democratic process is more likely to encourage people to take on an adversarial role, rather than a peacemaker! Is this because people feel disenfranchised from the daily plans and work that is undertaken? Do people feel that they don't have the chance or opportunity to be able to engage on the basis that they would like?
It was really positive that we had new volunteers to sit on the BMT committee - especially since we're losing three of our committee members this time around. Any new member brings a dash of life and vitality as well as a different way of looking at things. But I am well aware that we could do with even more people willing and able to come along to committee meetings each month and help to keep the company running smoothly.
Whatever the drivers for the various questions voiced at our AGM, it seems to me that our Chair has done a fantastic job this year on behalf of the company and he was able to explain what we've done and why we've done it. So well done to Mark. And a big thank you to everyone else at BMT, both in the committee and the wider company, who have given up their time and effort in many different ways over the last 12 months.
At the end of a fairly vocal meeting, it seems that we are once again back on track with peace and prosperity (as long as everyone pays their membership subscriptions) and that means that we can get on with the singing - which is after all what we all enjoy the most!