P.S I have possibly over-thought this!

Veg boxes are OK, but you often end up paying more for more vegetables than you need, and cant choose what goes in the box, and just end up with what’s seasonal and cheap, like it or lump it.

There was no need for Sainsbury’s to come to Portswood, it will be more expensive than Waitrose (so many people have this daft idea that Waitrose is expensive – it’s really not if you shop carefully), and the quality of fruit, vegetables and meat at Waitrose is unsurpassed.

People should also remember that Waitrose is a partnership in which the staff are partners, dedicated to offering quality, value and customer service. It is not a soulless corporate entity. Waitrose try to source local produce from small growers and suppliers close to individual Waitrose stores, and have expert buyers who seek out the best sources of the best quality food and unusual ingredients that can’t be found in other supermarkets. The quality of meat in Waitrose is amazing, and I wouldnt buy meat from any other supermarket.

They have their own sources of production, eg the Leckford estate, where they embody the Waitrose principles of good food, good environmental practice and fair behaviour in all their transactions. At all stages they ensure responsible and sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry.

Waitrose is fantastic. We are so lucky to have it in Portswood, and we should cherish and use it.

I will not use Sainsburys, and I hope other local ethical shoppers continue to use Waitrose.

I agree with everything you’ve said to be honest. My only concern is that, in my case, for instance, even with planning (I got given this dissertation this time last year), the amount of lab work required means that writing cannot commence until january (when you have exams)… I know it is up to those wanting to run to plan their workload accordingly but I do think that even with planning completing my project ahead of time would be near-impossible… at least, assuming I was intending on achieving the best marks I could.

On the housing front, there’s always plenty of houses well up until the Summer but Adam makes a good point about handover being too long for the old team to continue to work effectively.

All in all, I do believe that Andre’s idea of pre-Easter nominations and post-Easter campaign week would be a real improvement for next year. It may reduce some of the ‘hype’ or worry people that there’d be less interest from voters but surely we want the best possible candidates, not just the best voter turnout ?

As I say, I didn’t comment here to have a moan. I know that there will have been a lot of thought into the timings of elections and the process. I just wondered how people felt about it. To be honest, it hadn’t really occurred to me, until someone asked whether I would be running, that I couldn’t, if I wanted to achieve a good degree grade and do my best to get the job at the same time.

After all, it’s often the case that those most dedicated to SUSU need to pull up their grades a tad come final year… or so it seems to have been for me. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to do the 9-6 workload lecturers expect and volunteer for the Union, without being slightly nocturnal!!! I wouldn’t change my SUSU experiences for anything though – loved every minute and would love to be more involved in elections (if it weren’t for my darn dissertation!).

Maybe I’m simply not clever enough to manage degree work and SUSU work at the same time and others are and wouldn’t share the feelings I have expressed above… either way, I thought I’d question the dates and process to see how people felt and whether a review for next year would be a step forward or a step back.