Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 02 May 2014 01:43:15 GMT

[quote user="sarah mason"]Kind of a combination really-too many manifestos that sound very similar usually, having to log on to the website is a faff with codes etc was easier when you just posted the form, RCVS feels very remote and archaic generally.[/quote]

You can still just post the form. You don't even need to sign it any more.

Several people have mentioned "too many candidates". Sorry, but that seems a really weird reason for not voting. From the present lot, even I managed to find three I liked enough. (None of them was elected).

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

sarah mason — Thu, 01 May 2014 19:46:23 GMT

Kind of a combination really-too many manifestos that sound very similar usually, having to log on to the website is a faff with codes etc was easier when you just posted the form, RCVS feels very remote and archaic generally.

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

J G Wray — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 19:24:02 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Any MRCVS who has NOT and WILL NOT vote in this year's RCVS Council Elections, please select the MAIN reason why not from the list below. Your response will be kept anonymous unless you choose to reply in more detail in this thread.[/quote]

Didn't you do this in 2011 as well?\

Poll: Why didn't you vote in the RCVS Elections?

Any comparison in results?

JGW

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Bob Russell — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 11:00:51 GMT

[quote user="Jo Dyer"]

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

Curiosity is getting the better of me!

Could you please add a box that says: I was a good boy or girl and voted (or words to that effect!)

[/quote]

When I click 'view results' in red at the bottom of the vote box it lets me see them without voting…. It may be different on your browser?

[/quote]

Thank you! I need to get better glasses!!

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Jo Dyer — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 10:59:14 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

Curiosity is getting the better of me!

Could you please add a box that says: I was a good boy or girl and voted (or words to that effect!)

[/quote]

When I click 'view results' in red at the bottom of the vote box it lets me see them without voting…. It may be different on your browser?

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Bob Russell — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 10:44:46 GMT

Curiosity is getting the better of me!

Could you please add a box that says: I was a good boy or girl and voted (or words to that effect!)

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

J G Wray — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 07:43:29 GMT

[quote user="Lazy Bee"]If you have particular concerns, welfare/ritual slaughter in this particular case, badger the veterinary surgeons who have been voted onto Council, at least if you voted you have a moral right to put your views to those who you elected.[/quote]

"badger" - very good....

If you contact the vet you voted on to Council what then? WHat do you expect to happen? Do you expect that vet to take your concerns somewhere?

If you contact a Committee with the remit in the area of your concern what then? What do you expect to happen? Do you expect that COmmittee to take your concerns somewhere?

If you contact Communications at RCVS what then? What do you expect to happen? Do you expect Comms to take your concerns somewhere?

If you contact the Board what then?.................

You get my point.

What you'll get is RCVS position on whatever your concern is. You will be bounced. Try it and see.

JGW

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Lazy Bee — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:43:56 GMT

Sorry Arlo, I suppose I shouldn't be posting in this thread 'cos I did actually vote. Please folks, don't complain about your elected representatives, if you couldn't even bring yourselves to vote. If you have particular concerns, welfare/ritual slaughter in this particular case, badger the veterinary surgeons who have been voted onto Council, at least if you voted you have a moral right to put your views to those who you elected.

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Louise Harvey — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 12:24:12 GMT

Well said Hannah

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Louise Harvey — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 12:23:02 GMT

All except for one candidate dodged welfare questions which required them to declare their intentions on dealing with welfare issues. That one candidate that did touch a welfare subject chose the easiest questions which simply asked 'Do you think its ok that meat from non-stunned animals is not labelled as such?' That candidate said she thought it was wrong but that is all. She could have not avoided the harder questions which actually required her to say what she would try to do to deal with the issues. All the other candidates ignored welfare totally. Weak and not worth voting for! I stand for welfare, as should our whole profession, from top down… but the RCVS does not, sadly.

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Alison Skipper — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 16:29:32 GMT

One of them answered a question on ritual slaughter, didn't they? Cant remember which one, though, sorry!

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 08:54:31 GMT

Louise. It'sworse than shambolic, it's disgraceful - since animal welfare is central to our oath, and ought therefore to be central to everything else that goes on in Royal College.

Wynne

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Louise Harvey — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 08:06:11 GMT

I submitted a question on animal welfare, as did many other people. None of the candidates answered any welfare questions, which is I think shambolic.

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Alison Skipper — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:18:01 GMT

I did vote; it took me two hours this morning to read through the various sources of information available and make my six choices (time which I would dearly like to claim as CPD, being a crash course in veterinary politics). If I had been able to tell which candidates opposed the removal of postnomials I could have saved myself a lot of time and just voted for them, as that's the issue which has wound me up the most personally of late. Obviously I am joking here, but only to some extent! I applaud the public spiritedness of all the candidates, but certainly it is difficult to choose between so many even with the excellent efforts to communicate that many of them have made. Maybe a matrix with a direct point by point comparison of the candidates' views on different key issues, like a car insurance comparison site, would be useful another time, as otherwise inevitably one's comparing apples with oranges to some extent. Perhaps I am not the only one who has put off voting till the last minute because of having so many manifestos to read this year?

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 13:50:38 GMT

I think they should represent the electorate, but not a particular constituency, whether geographical, or special interest.

Wynne

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Bob Russell — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 13:30:46 GMT

I cannot see why there should be an argument against the RCVS representing its members.

It should be there to encourage the excellent, protect the competent and penalise the incompetent (and dare I say charlatans?).

Something to be proud of!

Hopefully Bob Partridge will continue to post here so we can benefit from his experience.

Real reason for posting is that unless I vote I cannot see other peoples answers! I did vote in the election but not for six. I refrained from voting for certain specific candidates because I am unimpressed with aspects of their past performance!

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 13:16:45 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]that candidates are not voted onto council to represent the members I cannot see their purpose. A self regulating organisation should be regulated by and on behalf of the body of the profession. Members from the body should be elected as representatives of those who vote for them and should sit on council on behalf of and as voices for those who elected them.[/quote]

I do not think that there is anything in either the Charter or the Veterinary Surgeons Act (I am prepared to be corrected) that says that the elected council members are not there to (among other tasks) represent the Members who elected them. A common-sense reading would suggest that this is precisely their intended role. I think that "Council members are not elected to represent the profession" is a myth which has been started and propagated by Belgravia House.

If members had not voted, we would not have had Bob Partridge on the council.

Re: Reasons for NOT voting in the RCVS Council Elections

Mark Holmes — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 12:59:23 GMT

Since Richard made clear that candidates are not voted onto council to represent the members I cannot see their purpose. A self regulating organisation should be regulated by and on behalf of the body of the profession. Members from the body should be elected as representatives of those who vote for them and should sit on council on behalf of and as voices for those who elected them. Currently the situation would appear to be that we have a regulator, and we - the body just happen to help with recruitment. The candidates once elected then work for and on behalf of the regulator not for and on behalf of the members. Pseudodemocratic and not in my opinion self regulating.