Bug#636783: Advice to the TC on overruling maintainers

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

=== TC RESOLUTION STARTS ===

1. The Debian Technical Committee hereby exercises its power in 4.2(1)
   of the Debian Constitution to propose a General Resolution,
   and according to A.1(1) the TC also proposes an amendment.

   The proposed texts of the two resulting options for the General
   Resolution are as follows:

   ----- GENERAL RESOLUTION STARTS, COMMON INTRODUCTORY TEXT -----

   Advice to the TC on overruling maintainers

   In the past the Technical Committee have been reluctant to overrule
   a maintainer unless all the members are absolutely convinced that
   the maintainer's decision was wrong.

   The TC has sought the views of the Developers.  Accordingly, the
   Developers advise, in their (non-binding) opinion, that:

   ----- GENERAL RESOLUTION OPTION A -----

   The Technical Committee's approach so far has been correct.

   ----- GENERAL RESOLUTION OPTION B -----

   Technical Committee members should be willing to vote to overrule if
   they feel that the maintainer's decision was wrong; the
   supermajority requirement is sufficient to guard against overruling
   in questionable cases.

   ----- GENERAL RESOLUTION ENDS -----

2. It is not practical for the TC to vote to accept/reject individual
   amendments to the GR proposal.  The TC would wish to delegate its
   power to accept amendments, to avoid needing the collection of
   sponsors for uncontroversial changes.  However the Secretary has
   advised that this is not constitutionally acceptable.

   Therefore, to achieve roughly the same effect, the TC makes the
   following promise.  If any TC member gives notice that the TC
   accepts an amendment, then at least one of the following will
   happen:

     (a) the TC will use its own power under A.1(1) to arrange that
         the amendment appears on the GR ballot as an option;

     (b) the TC will use its power under A.1(1) to propose and
         its power under A.1(2) to accept the amendment, so that
         the amendment is incorporated in the version voted on; or

     (c) A member of the TC will publicly notify the amendment's
         proposer that the amendment will not be accepted after all.
         In this case TC will wait at least 7 more days before calling
         for a vote, to give time for the amendment's proposer to
         collect sponsors.

===== TC RESOLUTION ENDS =====