#ElectNotSelect; “Remove Church Appointees” makes front page of Herald

From front page, [Glasgow] Herald, 7 Oct 2016; click to enlarge

You can sign here: https://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/ChurchAppointees

And you can see a fuller version of the story in the Herald online here.

Why sign? For the moment, I’ll just repeat what I said yesterday:

Three of the full voting members of every Local Authority Education Committee in Scotland are unelected nominees of the Churches, whether the voters or their elected representatives want them there or not.

And because this is Scotland, a country that regards its people with respect, the petition process means something. Enough, in this case, to actually change things. The petition will be discussed by Holyrood’s Public Petitions Committee, who will, we hope, pass it on to the Education and Skills Committee, the Government will be asked to state its position, the Educational Institute of Scotland, the Consortium of Scottish Local Authorities, and other interested parties will be written to …

What happens then? That depends very much on you. Hierarchies never give up power without a struggle. There will be mobilisation in defence of the indefensible, and no Government, and very few individual MSPs, will be willing to stand up for change unless we have shown them that there is a real demand for it. That is why your signature matters.

What more can you do? Firstly, and most effectively in terms of return on time spent, pass it on. Use your social accounts, Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Next, let your own MSPs know how you feel; you can contact them at http://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-msps.aspx. And keep your eyes on the newspapers and their comments sections; write to them if you feel so moved. Never have concerned individuals had so many ways of making their voices heard. Use them.