RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:29:45 GMT

I'm going to lock this thread now, because it concerned the request for questions for the hustings which are now closed, and people are still posting questions here, when they should be posted as new threads (or for each candidate, as appropriate).

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:56:06 GMT

Well, there we are. It was slightly more useful than I expected: I have now rejected one candidate out of the two I was considering voting for, while another now looks slightly less objectionable than he did.

Strange that so many chose to address a question about "what about all these new veterinary schools popping up?".

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

fluffygirl — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:01:43 GMT

This is probably somewhat trivial but it's an annual source of annoyance and irritation to me. My employer will reimburse me my BSAVA membership and my RCVS annual registration fees on production of a receipt. Why is it that the BSAVA can email me a receipt within 48 hours of payment whilst I have to wait weeks and send 'reminder' emails to get a similar document from my professional governing body?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

mariette asselbergs — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:37:52 GMT

"Mariette, who do you mean by "they"? "

"They" are the people who organise these elections. Yes it is more difficult for women who juggle jobs and families, to put themselves up as candidates, but there could be more effort in getting women involved. I have not seen any effort going into this.

Mariette

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Anthony Todd — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:27:09 GMT

[quote user="Tanya Fielding"]i would like to ask the candidates how they can repressent the majority of vets working in general practice, the majority of whom are female trying to juggle work and family life and don't have time to sit on RCVS councils[/quote]

I think you have answered your own moan.

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:46:30 GMT

[quote user="mariette asselbergs"]

I would vote for half of them to be female yes.

I am not going to vote for an all male RCVS management team.

I find it totally absurd in this day and age that they come up with an all male set of candidates.

Mariette

[/quote]

Mariette, who do you mean by "they"? This isn't a list of candidates produced by Belgravia House after the fashion of a Communist country, these are all the candidates who have put themselves forward.

I'll vote for the candidate (if any) who offers to attempt the things I think need doing and is not an enthusiast for things I detest. I don't care whether the candidate's male, female, 85 or too young to have heard of the Beatles. I can't understand the logic of voting for "all the women" or "all the young ones".

Looking at recent female occupiers of Council seats does not inspire confidence.

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

mariette asselbergs — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:37:37 GMT

I would vote for half of them to be female yes.

I am not going to vote for an all male RCVS management team.

I find it totally absurd in this day and age that they come up with an all male set of candidates.

Mariette

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

karen jones — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:07:15 GMT

More , why are women vets not putting themselves forward for election? Maybe the rcvs should put out more information about what is involved when elected, how much time it takes, how personal costs are reimbursed. I have been on committees for swimming etc when the kids were small and they can take an unorderate amount of time. I often feel there aren't enough hours in te day now without adding in something else but I don't know how often they meet and what else is expected. It's probably on rcvs website but I find it one of the worse websites to negotiate!

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:43:11 GMT

[quote user="mariette asselbergs"]

Why are there no women candidates? How do you expect us to vote for an all male set of candidates?

Mariette

[/quote]

You mean if there were six female candidates amongst thirteen standing, you'd just vote for the six female because they were female?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

mariette asselbergs — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:51:17 GMT

Why are there no women candidates? How do you expect us to vote for an all male set of candidates?

Mariette

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Tanya Fielding — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:44:02 GMT

i would like to ask the candidates how they can repressent the majority of vets working in general practice, the majority of whom are female trying to juggle work and family life and don't have time to sit on RCVS councils. i was of course dismayed to find not a single female representitive standing for council. is the RCVS just another old boys club?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Anthony Dennison — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 00:03:48 GMT

Another question:

I graduated last year. At some point in May or June I paid my RCVS membership fees, it cost £150. This year my renewal letter came through with a cost of membership to the RCVS (starting in April, only 9 months after paying for last year) is £299. What makes the months between April and July (when I started practising) cost a whopping £150? What even happens with my money, apart from paying for webinars that, in all honesty, a very small percentage of vets will watch?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:02:51 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]What happens if nobody votes this time?[/quote]

Well hardly anyone will, as usual! What, over 9000 versurgers, and how many voted?

I'd make a wild guess and say that, with a little look at the books, and a little bit of common sense in this global age of communication a move to Nottingham, say, which makes all sorts of sense, [we could helicopter staff to the Houses of Parliament when necessary and be quids in] our annual fee could be halved.

[/quote]

Just to clarify; the question was by Bob Russell, not myself.

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Anthony Todd — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:54:04 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]What happens if nobody votes this time?[/quote]

Well hardly anyone will, as usual! What, over 9000 versurgers, and how many voted?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Mark Hedberg — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:21:18 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

What happens if nobody votes this time?

[/quote]

The same thing that happened last time, only worse!

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Thomas Johnson — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:59:48 GMT

[quote user="Rob Davis"]

[quote user="Bob Russell"]I have been far from impressed that the so called governing body considers itself incapable of getting involved and controlling the number of training places for vets.[/quote]

I'm probably being very naive, but even though the RCVS may have no power to stop universities offering a veterinary degree, surely it is their decision whether or not to give accreditation to the degree - it's useless unless they decide to allow graduates to become MsRCVS.

[/quote]

I wonder whether it has the power to do that, it may be that it is legally obliged to inspect a veterinary medicine course if requested to do so by a UK university? If that is the case it would have no choice but to accredit the course if it reached the required standard.

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Rob Davis — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:30:05 GMT

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Bob Russell — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:22:58 GMT

I would vote for anyone I considered likely to shake up the RCVS. Things seem to be changing but I am not sure how much of this is window-dressing. I have been far from impressed that the so called governing body considers itself incapable of getting involved and controlling the number of training places for vets.

Even worse the 'new' universities do not consider the RCVS important enough to involve in decision making!

The RCVS seems to be completely impotent in the grand scheme of things and all it can do is throw its weight about disciplining vets that have not followed the book but have still done a safe job!

I have always voted in the elections but this time I am not sure I will bother. What happens if nobody votes this time?

(Not sure I will bother with the webinar!)

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Anthony Todd — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 02:48:10 GMT

[quote user="J G Wray"] why don't they just publish written answers to a selection of questions[/quote]

Sounds too easy and reeks of common sense and transparency!

I reckon I could "reply" to most of the questions without having seen them!!

You know, many challenges, difficult period, complex argument, bigger picture, changing world etc. etc.

What people say very often doesn't really reflect what they really think. .

Admittedly the written word gets massaged and modified but it's better than an off the cuff, misinterpreted, response which wasn't what the speaker really wanted to say, but was too scared to say it.

To put my previous post into perspective how many versurgers would vote for JGW?? Yet how many more think his ideas and utterances make perfect sense?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

David Mills — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:34:00 GMT

All the best Mr G (and family) - as JHL says a load of privileged educated professional people getting het up about their regulators somewhat pales in comparison. Any interaction I have with the NHS leaves me on the verge of complaint. Pity you haven't a local tame vet to help you out with the BDZs.

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

james herriot lied — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:25:26 GMT

H*ly Cr*p.

Having gone to what felt like the wire with a 3yo and a ruptured appendix, I feel some of what you're going through, Arlo. Leave this rabble alone for a bit - we'll fight each other to a standstill sooner or later.

Really wishing you all the best.

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:17:13 GMT

Jeepers creepers, just had the most frightening week of my life. My beloved little daughter started having a seizure cluster last Tuesday. Nothing exceptional in that. But it didn't go away after 48 hours as they usually do. Then she started to decline, becoming increasingly less responsive (although not a linear progression). On Saturday morning, we weren't happy, so I took her to the hospital. Embarrassingly / predictably, she perked up the moment the doctor arrived. So I took her home again. By Sunday morning, she was completely catatonic and I thought she was on the way out. Rang Great Ormond Street, where the consultant thought she was probably in non-convulsive status. Back to hospital, where I suffered the most appalling loss of stiff upper lip as I tried to explain things to the consultant. Most embarrassing. They bunged her on the benzos which brought her out of it, but we had a long night of it last night, and just back now.

I'm shredded. What a bloody rollercoaster.

Wouldn't have mentioned it, and not after the sympathy vote at all. Just that perhaps it explains my feeling that life's too short to get too overly worked up about, well, almost anything. So:

[quote user="james herriot lied"]There are no quarters, Arlo. These are individual opinions and positioning them into camps is insulting.[/quote]

JHL, I am sorry, no offense was intended, it was just a turn of phrase. I wasn't even thinking that these were the opinions of some sort of faction when I wrote that. I guess just a bad choice of words.

Still, I stand by the other stuff I said before. My comments (then or now) are not about all these other issues being raised, but purely about the webinar initiative. It is the easiest thing in the world to criticise something. Far more productive to balance it with constructive suggestions and even the odd compliment (even if you have to struggle to find it).

The TB test (for example). That's a different battle.

There endeth the sermon.

Now I'm off to complain. Not sure about what, or who to. Just feel like it.

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

patrick murphy — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:49:31 GMT

I just got an e-mail from my firend in canada, and with one quick advert for a maternity post he stopped taking details after 300 applications in a day. is that us next?

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

J G Wray — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 07:47:29 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]But I simply don't buy the argument that it will all be sanitised by the comms dept. In the digital era, it is just not possible to do that any more. In my experience, any attempt to dodge difficult questions just means that they spring up, hydra-like, elsewhere on the interweb, like here![/quote]

It is possible. RCVS have been doing it for years. As stated previously they have a fear that inappropriate questions will be asked which if they answer will demonstrate bias. They don't even want candidates to answer them, but then some of the candidates are previous Councillors and know where the skeletons are.

In this case, the medium suggested is silly, because

1. There are thirteen candidates - have you ever tried following who is speaking - there won't be visuals for those with limited internet connections - when more than one person is on a Webinar?

2. There is only a certain amount of time available to allow each to answer to demonstrate a "democracy"

3. The questions wil have been preselected by Someone and then marshalled by Someone else - this is staging.

4. The answers will be rehearsed and, given the time constraints, leave no time for debate.

Mr Chadwick may be the nicest person in the World, but he has a commercial interest in promoting the value of his product.

Mr Holloway and Ms Lockett, as I know them, and at least I've met them and spoken to them knowing who they are, unlike thousands of members, have not impressed me with their knowledge of what makes practitioners tick and how they work. It isn't enough to be on first name terms and have cosy relationships to believe they are effective. They may be the messengers in this exercise, but if they can't see the weakness of the proposition when it's plain to so many outside RCVS then they have narrow horizons and points of reference. That's not good enough.

You've seen in others replies just how unhappy some are with RCVS, yet there is nothing of subtely, intelligence or substance from RCVS to engage and engender trust. It is always something imperfect and occaasionally very very expensive. RCVS' role as a Diciplinarian of the profession is not contested, even if their decisions are dead handed, it's the other stuff they involve themselves in which has a tenuous justification of being in the public interest which is strange for Ordinary retention fee payers and they just don't engage in these areas.

And before you ask, even if you try to make suggestions, there is nothing. This is because any suggestion irrespective of how it is put it met with hostility and they still, still have no regular system of approach, it's entirely ad hoc.

JGW

Re: RCVS Council Elections – what would you ask?

Anthony Todd — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:51:52 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"]I think this is the rub for me[/quote]

The rub for me is that those in the profession who appear to have impartial fair ideas, particularly if expressed forcefully, never get elected.

There are plenty of sensible committed candidates on here but how many of them stand a ghost of a chance of election?

Actually how many vetsurgers voted for anyone??!!

The majority just moan but do sweet nothing!

The pitiful number of votes cast last time is sad confirmation.

How anyone with an ounce of common sense would sanction another vet school, when the profession is already overpopulated, is totally beyond me.

I don't suppose anyone has read this, and the comments?

http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2013/02/25/veterinary-graduates-problems/

And funding a research and learning institution from commercial organisations with a vested interest is just a plain recipe for bias or worse.