Divisions in the McTmoney camp as Jim O Dell tries to break the old girls clubs control of their candidates in the election
Jim Odell MBA, BSc, BSc, MMCA
I am one of the 10 nominees for the GCC Elections. The main difference between me and the other candidates is that I am a relative unknown, except amongst my supporters!
When I first decided to stand (2 years ago) I had a vision that I could make a difference to our profession. I was tired of the petty infighting and politics between factions and the few small minded, but power grabbing individuals, who seem intent on making chiropractic the smallest and most divided profession in the UK.
I have two messages: the first for any chiropractor out there who wants to see balanced, reasonable chiropractic representatives on the GCC. For those of you who fall into this category please go my
Election Manifesto at www.gccelections.blogspot.com
so that you are able to make an informed decision about me.
The second message is for McTimoney Chiropractors who would like to make up their own mind on how to vote and not be told who to elect, based on misinformation about me and the voting process. By now many of you will have had the MCA emails, letters and election phone calls in which I have been described in a variety of ways – none complimentary! What the MCA Executive has not said is that they asked me to stand for Wales. I turned this down as I have no connection with Wales, saying that if I am to represent chiropractors it should be those I can truly represent.
In return, I received an email from a member of the MCA Executive which included this phrase
‘…withdraw your nomination now before it is too late, to avoid unpleasantness…..
’ I did not withdraw and I have not avoided unpleasantness.
Misinformation about the voting process
You have been told how a vote for me will cause the downfall of McTimoney. The fact that I am standing
does not change the chance of getting 2 or 3 McTimoney candidates elected – what is does is give members the choice to decide who gets elected.
The 3 ‘endorsed’ McTimoney candidates were selected by the MCA Executive – the MCA members had no choice. In fact, one of the selected candidates sat on the selection panels!
I don’t want you to just take my word about the process – but urge you to go the ERS site and download their document
‘What is STV?’ www.electoral-reform.org.uk/downloads/what%20is%20stv.pdf
But here is a phrase taken from that document that might ring true with many of you!
‘…the voter is not stuck with the party’s favourite. They can choose who they think will work hardest;’
Remember I am a McTimoney and I will represent us, but I am also a chiropractor and will represent chiropractic for the betterment of the profession and us.
My drive is to put McTimoney at the forefront of chiropractic and to rid us of the ‘bunker mentality’, where McTimoney chiropractors are fed information to make us run scared. It is a good tactic to maintain control, but a poor tactic to move McTimoney into the future.Look at the latest ‘Revalidation scare-mail’. Nothing has yet been decided but already you are being asked to run scared – or maybe it’s a tactic to get your vote – ‘vote for us and we will protect you’! See the latest GCC Bulletin (Item 8, Issue 19) from the 1 May 2007 meeting (available on their website).
Don’t be fooled by what you are told about me or the election process.
Check it out for yourself – make your own decisions
• Look at STV on the ERS website
• See my blogsite for my views about key issues
Jim was right he ran and all three McTimoney candidates were elected. So you have to wonder why they made the following statement.
Statement by the MCA Executive
From the very beginning of this campaign, we have tried to concentrate on the major issues facing the chiropractic profession. We have deliberately not responded to the any of the negative campaigning that has been undertaken by others, but we feel we have no choice now but to make a statement as significant untruths are being circulated which is reflecting on the honesty, integrity and professionalism of the MCA Executive team.
Mr Odell has put much emphasis on honesty and truth in his campaign and accused the MCA of ‘spin’, but he himself has not been truthful to support his own arguments. Here are just three examples:
1. Our selection process was open and transparent and the three MCA candidates were chosen from 15 who put themselves forward. The selection day was also attended and observed by members who were not candidates. All candidates, bar one, have accepted that the decision was the correct one and are supporting the endorsed candidates. All three candidates have also been endorsed by the UCA who independently came to the conclusion that these were the best candidates to take the profession forward.
2. In his first post on this site, he tries to suggest that the MCA Executive have threatened him, by selectively quoting and taking completely out of context a personal and private communication.
His version –
‘…withdraw your nomination now before it is too late, to avoid unpleasantness..’
The full quote is:
I urge you to withdraw your nomination now before it is too late, to avoid unpleasantness and the loss of the election to the detriment of us all. We must all pull together to win this election – we cannot afford this sort of dangerous distraction. Our future is at stake. Please reconsider.
We suggest that this is completely different from what he was trying to portray. The email was a personal communication urging him to think of the greater good rather than his own personal ambition. Moreover, it was in fact prophetic in terms of the unpleasantness and distraction that he himself – not the MCA – has introduced into this campaign.
3. He has tried to suggest in e-mails to the profession that he has saved the Cheiron journal against the wishes of the Executive Committee who wanted to reduce it in size and content. Here is a note from the editor Jane Cooke who is able to state quite clearly that this is not true:
I have been asked by a number of people to comment on the following statement made by Jim Odell:
“I am a regular contributor (foc) to the Cheiron (you can see latest article and a mug shot in the last copy!) And if it were not for myself and Jane Cooke (who works tirelessly to produce the Cheiron) putting a business plan together, the Executive Committee would have cut your magazine down to 2 copies a year.”
Jim has contributed a feature to the last two issues of The Cheiron. He also attended a Cheiron planning meeting towards the end of last year and drew up the basis of a working business plan for future editions – all of which I am grateful for as Members’ input to The Cheiron tends to be scant and therefore valuable.
It is important, however, that I clarify one very important point – The Executive Committee was not about to cut The Cheiron down to two copies a year. I myself suggested this as a possibility unless we could make the journal self financing, but the Executive Committee were keen to find ways of avoiding this.
These are just three examples of how the “truth” is being manipulated, and we have been asked by a number of our members to present this statement to you as a way of providing some balance into what has become a very emotional ‘debate’. We will not be drawn into making any further statements.
The chiropractic profession is on the cusp of important change, and it should not be diverted from considering the real issues. We urge you to do that, and read the election statements by the three MCA endorsed candidates who have all said, right from the very beginning, that the time for internal squabbling has passed. They are people who actually do what they say, have made an enormous contribution to the profession over the last ten years and are ready and willing to continue to do so on your behalf.
We urge you to decide based on the issues, and the ability of elected council members to work together for the greater good of the profession.
MCA Executive Committee
