In reply to the new vice-chair—my congratulations indeed—the idea is not to impose restrictions but for us to be guided by rules that we all know and share, since they apply to all committee members. The value in putting them into words is that then our work rests on a solid foundation, and there is no uproar or friction because we have no clear interpretation of the rules. This is why the motion seems to me to be helpful in the sense that it provides the solid foundation. The only motivation behind it is for the committee to be efficient.
On November 13th, 2007. See this statement in context.