The Diary of Mr O Options

[carbuncle]

I thought ChrisO/Prioryman/Helatrobus/etc's attempt to get me banned from WP was self-serving because of some unfinished business that came up in the ArbCom case involving Cirt. He knows I may get around to finishing it one day. Perhaps that wasn't the only reason.

He left this note on the talk page of MartinPoulter (T-C-L-K-R-D) :

You've got mail
Hi Martin, I'm wondering if you got my email? I'd be grateful for a chance to have a chat before the end of this week about my grant application(s), inter alia. Could you possibly drop me a line to let me know when might be convenient? Prioryman (talk) 00:46, 9 February 2012 (UTC

MartinPoulter is Martin Poulter, Wikimedia UK trustee. Poulter is deeply involved in the anti-Scientology movement, as was ChrisO.

[thekohser]

I think this is fairly comical:

Attendees

Present were:

Martin Poulter [MLP] (real name)
Chris Keating [CK] (real name)
Mike Peel [MP] (Minutes - support) (real name)
Jon Davies [JD] (real name)
Richard Symonds [RS] (Minutes - lead) (real name)
Roger Bamkin [RB] (Chair) (real name)
Andrew Turvey [AT] (real name)
Fæ [Fæ] (FAKE name)
Tom Dalton [TD] (Saturday only) (real name)
Steve Virgin [SV] (arrived late on Saturday) (real name)

[dogbiscuit]

I think this is fairly comical:

Attendees

Present were:

Martin Poulter [MLP] (real name)
Chris Keating [CK] (real name)
Mike Peel [MP] (Minutes - support) (real name)
Jon Davies [JD] (real name)
Richard Symonds [RS] (Minutes - lead) (real name)
Roger Bamkin [RB] (Chair) (real name)
Andrew Turvey [AT] (real name)
Fæ [Fæ] (FAKE name)
Tom Dalton [TD] (Saturday only) (real name)
Steve Virgin [SV] (arrived late on Saturday) (real name)

Hmm.

In the UK, names are fairly flexible things, you can legally call yourself what you like. To change your name, you can simply use a new name, although there are two techniques for formally changing your name, taking a statutory oath (where you swear a legal oath that you renounce your old name and will only be known by your new one, worked fine for me many years ago) or deed poll, which is a legal document.

What you should not do is use two names at the same time. If someone has a stage name, legally they either sign contracts under that name and have adopted that name, or they operate under their own name (e.g. Richard Starkey was the name for Ringo Starr's copyright claims). There should never be any attempt to evade identification (no I didn't sign that, that's not my name).

If you operate under different names then that is usually considered OK if there is no intent at deception, but in this case we have a real person who has real responsibilities in law and has already signed up to being a trustee under his real name is now presenting himself at a legally accountable meeting under a different name. The question is whether, if someone asks that organisation if Fae is Ashley (which is well known and admitted anyhow), will the organisation deny this? I doubt it can, legally, without getting into hot water.

Not a big deal of course, but very silly for someone old enough to know better.