Cap'n Chris said:
The "larger caving community" is everyone that caves in this country that is nothing whatsoever to do with amateur caving namely professional/commercial/industrial. By a significant multiplier.
I think, but I'm not sure, that I know what you mean by that sentence?
But absolutely, professional cavers and even those one-trip-only cavers should be heard and respected; in reality people who only go down caves once are unlikely to get involved so the BCA has a duty to make sure that for their very brief time in the caving community they are represented.
ACBs being subject to "the authority of BCA"? Pretty sure the power-holder in British Caving is the insurance industry. They call the shots.
Well OK, but best to fight the battles we can win. Negotiations generally work best when everyone is singing off the same hymnsheet, even if they don't all agree - see the shambles of Brexit negotiations...
On behalf of an ACB I can categorically state that the BCA has no authority, nor will it ever.
And how well is that working out at building a national consensus, or solving thorny issues like Draenen, instead of the vitriolic and frankly embarrassing politics of caving?
Why is it that the national body has no authority, when it exists to serve caving? How can it gain the best access for cavers when ACBs are free to work against it and against any national consenus?
And you can't predict the future, so I wouldn't say the BCA will never have authority... Power to the people!
Compared to a lot of other sports and activities we really don't have our house in order and consequently struggle to achieve things on a national level where other outdoor activities succeed. For example, climbing fought for, and won, explicit guarantee that CROW applied to climbing. I'm sure not everyone agreed with that, but they got consensus and got stuff done. The empire-building in caving works against the future of caving.
PS to be clear, my issue is with the system and not with the volunteers and people who work within it.