92%

Recently things that have seemed obvious from one perspective have gone on to prove shocking. Forgone conclusions have been forlornly wrong.

So today I decided I wanted to be in the room on a day when there was a real possibility that British mountaineering would shoot itself, possibly fatally. As the current Chair of one of the senior mountaineering associations, and more pertinently a 30 year member, as one of the few people to have worked for and with most of the main stakeholders I knew it was right to be seen and to offer support. Arriving in a room full with friends there was a palpable sense that this could be a momentous day. It wasn't lost on me that most of us turned up with several proxy votes in hand*

I won't bore you with the politics, but this time the vote went resoundingly the right way. In the end a minority of halcyon fools, the 'it was better in the old days' brigade, were thoroughly rejected. Hopefully after two lost years of quagmire the BMC can now start to heal and to start a new phase of working for everyone who enjoy the mountains in myriad ways.
I also hope the sort of members who showed no shame in asking the female candidate for President how much influence her husband would have will now realise their time has passed and there is no place for their views in an inclusive organisation.

Arriving home the glorious double rainbow in extras seemed to bode well.

*the 8000 votes cast represents the highest vote ever by a long way.... Its still less than 10% of the membership.