Re: [Debconf-discuss] "Anonymous donation" to Debconf 13

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

Holger Levsen writes ("Re: [Debconf-discuss] "Anonymous donation" to Debconf 13"):
> The "anonymous donations" we got offered were rejected (by us)

Why do you use scare quotes ?

> On Samstag, 1. Dezember 2012, Holger Levsen wrote:
> > > http://lists.debconf.org/lurker/message/20121102.150947.08f4206c.en.html
> > it's a dead horse. old, long dead.
> 
> can we please stop beating it?

I'm sorry to keep making trouble, but strings-attached offers of
substantial amounts of money from anonymous donors are a serious
matter.  Even if the decision for Debconf13 is already finalised, we
need to have transparency.

Your statement that these offers were rejected by the Debconf team
doesn't seem consistent with the story I heard which is (as far as I
can make out) that the donors got cold feet and downgraded their offer
from a donation to a loan, which latter obviously wasn't useful to
Debconf.  See for example Philipp Hug's email:
  http://lists.debconf.org/lurker/message/20121102.150947.08f4206c.en.html
Philipp says "it's now clear that they only wanted to provide DebConf
with liquidity", which suggests that at some earlier point this wasn't
clear and the suggestion appeared to be a donation.


Please would you also answer the rest of my questions.
Particularly critical are:

  6. Were the proposed donors in positions of authority or governance in
     relation to Debconf ?  Examples of people in positions of authority
     or governance in relation to Debconf include the DPL, the DPL
     helpers tasked with Debconf-related tasks, people involved with
     Debconf accounting on behalf of SPI or FFIS, and of course members
     of the Debconf global or local teams.

I have heard allegations that the answer to this question is "yes".
Please would you either deny this, or confirm it and explain.

And:

  3. Were any conditions attached ?  If so what were the conditions ?

It has been alleged that the conditions attached were that we hold
DC13 at Le Camp.  Again, would you please confirm or deny.

I think the whole project is entitled to full and frank answers to all
of my questions.

Thanks,
Ian.