droid said:
Love the way people have the idea that this Forum represents the view of the caving fraternity in general. It *does* promote one particular view, and people voicing *the other view* tend to be suppressed.
The Ballot showed a greater percentage of nay-sayers than was represented on here.
It is interesting how you get different sub-populations represented out of the same larger population.
The forum is fairly pro-whatever it is that it is (I was going to say pro-access, but surely everyone is pro-access, which just goes back to the whole debate being bloody silly in some ways).
The vote was fairly pro as well, albeit possibly slightly less than the forum.
Last year's AGM was mixed but probably not pro.
This year's AGM was over-whelming pro, which most of the objections being from pro people who had got the wrong end of the stick about a proposal from other pro people...
(I guess I am a Mendips caver now, living in Wells, and voted for all the different amendments even if I don't think all of them are/the process is perfect, and would the constitutional review Tim suggested at the AGM...)
Final comment: some people express their views in ways that are more likely to turn people _away_ from their opinions, and frustrate those of otherwise similar opinions... let's keep the debates civil and impersonal rather than turning it into the childish insult-slinging match that some many discussions about this seem to...
Consider this: if you have no sympathy and understanding of the other side's arguments, you can't understand them and so, being ignorant, should probably refrain from discussion until you _do_ understand why other presumably rational(ish) humans have landed on the other side of the fence to you.