Giano still hasn't got satisfaction, and ArbCom are making sure he doesn't get it. Giano, in battling to stop ArbCom reneging on a commitment, seems to be pushing his luck and heading for a topic ban on the committee, which no doubt he would not be willing to comply with.

It's all getting a bit grumpy.

Stifle stifled him?

I used to be an admirer of Giano's as recently as a couple of months ago. Now he's just a tiresome bore who rants on and on about IRC conspiracy theories like a broken record - I don't even watch his talk page anymore.

No-one cares. I mean, we care, but accept IRC as an inevitable part of life.

The purpose of the Admin IRC in the beginning was for Jimbo to gather his most trusted admins together to discuss emergency or sensitive topics such as legal issues or BLP issues. Things that discussing on-wiki would greatly harm the Foundation or Wikipedia.

At least, that's what I thought it was for!

If ArbCom can't get rid of the IRC, why not just pass a remedy that off-wiki decisions regarding blocking should not be done except under highly exceptional cases (such as pedophiles)? That might not stop the practice, but it would marginalize admins who do and they might be desysopped by ArbCom.

Agreed personally. I think the only way an admin should take action via IRC is if:

1. it needs to be actioned on immediately
2. it is completely obvious and no one would disagree with it
3. it is a sensitive topic, like BLP.

my three cents worth.

I thought that was supposed to be the status quo?

Passing that remedy (again) will definitely work this time!

You'd hope so...

One of the biggest problems with the Arbitration Committee is that it has traits in common with Jimbo. Namely, the tendency to promise whatever they think it will take to calm the current situation, but not actually following through on that promise.

Such are the problems of power, something people handle in different ways, that is why some people make better leaders than others. Though the tendency towards youthful rebellion is always going to make being a power in wikipedia problematic

Oh dear, Jimbo is 42, he should be archived, the flies are swarming!

It's hardly a "conspiracy theory" to believe that there is a thing called IRC, or to observe that it is frequently the origin of set ups and bad blocks.