[Debian-uk] Time to close the Debian UK Society?

[Steve McIntyre]

Hi folks,

We set up Debian UK a number of years ago, basically as a means to an
end: getting a bank account in the UK for Debian funds. Back in the
day, we were attending two or three Linux shows every year and seeing
a lot of turnover from selling CDs and T-shirts, passing the money on
to deserving Debian folks. Having a proper bank account made this much
easier and more accountable than simply storing Debian money in my
savings account!

Today, we don't have the same need for such an account, in my
opinion. The days of the Linux trade show in the UK are done: Linux
has gone mainstream and doesn't need specialist shows any more. We
tend to take some Ts to FOSDEM and/or DebConf these days, and I've
been getting the odd enquiry about them by email, but we're seeing
only a tiny volume compared to what used to happen. Other folks (like
Debian.ch) are doing T-shirts these days, and we don't need much
special handling of Debian money in the UK.

That then leads to the question: do we still need the Debian UK
Society? I'm thinking of closing it down and transferring the
remaining money to FFIS or SPI at this point. As I mentioned last
week, I've already moved the money out of the unsafe account we had at
the Co-Op Bank back into my savings account. Should we continue the
shell of the Society or not? Comments welcome...

If there is general support for closure, I'll propose a winding-up
motion for the BBQ this year.

-- 
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve at einval.com
"Every time you use Tcl, God kills a kitten." -- Malcolm Ray