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Dear All, What very sad news. We are in dire need of leadership and direction. I voted against the new contract and everything it stood for and I stand by my then observations that no pay rise would have been justification enough. The Government has since behaved appallingly (well summarised by Peverley), to which the BMA have publicly voiced their concern that, "We feel bullied". Then, in the same breath they complied with their wishes, the sort of behaviour I would expect from a schoolyard weakling. I am not blaming them for being bullied (they/we have been). I blame them for presenting themselves as our leaders and representatives and not showing the slightest ability to stand up for themselves or for us. They quite clearly told us in fact they made a point of it, that they would be seeking our opinion. For the record I beleive that to defer confrontation will significantly weaken our hand. They have still not asked (too late now I suspect) and in the face of nothing more than a little consistency from the government they have very publicly buckled at the knees. They have imploded into an absence of all things which make up leadership, among which I include self belief, commitment, resilience, courage and an ability to walk the walk. In complying under these circumstances, despite mumbling under their breath, they have effectively given tacit approval to the false arguments raised against them and us. As a result, they and we must now appear to the general public as spineless and of questionable integrity. I too am beginning to ask myself why would I choose to pay to be a member of such an organisation? This is not what I want. I would like my voice to be heard and I would like to have strong representation. I know what leadership looks like ... and it does not look like this. Laurie Slater