I expect most of us know, or at least know of someone who suffers from MS (multiple sclerosis). Scotland has the highest rate of this debilitating disease in the world and contributes a great deal to research not least through the MS Society Scotland.
J K Rowling has been the patron of this society for several years and has taken her duties very seriously, but she is standing down because she feels she "cannot be the public face of a charity that is changing beyond recognition." One of the changes she refers to is conflict between the Scottish arm of the charity and management in London. London wants to control the UK finances of the MS Society and the Scottish arm wishes to keep locally raised funds and bank them with a Scottish bank.
The inability of English charity bosses to come to terms with Scottish devolution has been blamed for the internal power struggle within the MS Society that led Ms Rowling to quit as its Scottish patron. There are many charities in the UK which put 'Scotland' after their names but the money is pooled in England and I've always considered this unfair, especially when we have such centres of excellence in medical research.
From the Times:
'Charity insiders said that the MS Society was one of a several UK organisations unwilling to cede power to their Scottish branches in the wake of political change. The arrival of an SNP Government is thought to have created a climate in which the Scots have become more assertive about their need for more autonomy.'
The ignorance and political bias of these charities is astounding and the MS Society is sure to regret losing such professionals as Mark Hazelwood, the Scottish based director who left last December after nine years at the charity, was highly regarded and known to hold different view to the English management in some areas.
I would like to suggest that anyone in Scotland wishing to contribute towards MS research in Scotland contacts Ms Rowling to ask the address for the payment. As she intends to continue to give financial help direct to research in Edinburgh, I'm sure she'll be delighted to know there are others of a similar mindset. There is also a research centre in Aberdeen.
May I thank her for such excellent work, undertaken with much dedication, during her period of office. I know she will be sadly missed by many in the MS Society Scotland, not least the sufferers.
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10 comments:
The nationalists posture and the sick and the defenseless suffer..
The Nationalist motto
Better to be sick and Scottish than healthy and British.
niko that's an nasty and unnecessary comment. It's all to do with control. The English based charities don't want to give up any control.
JK Rowling (a labour supporter remember) knows that Scotland raises a considerable amount of money for the MS Society and wanted it kept for the projects in Scotland. The English didn't like it.
Good for her to make such a stand but it's a sad reflection on English charities.
No - surely not. It's more to do with the donation she gave to the Labour Party. In England, at the last GE, Labour was wiped out. Don't blame England all the time.
I don't understand why the people running these charities in Scotland don't separate completely from their English masters?
You think so GV? Does that mean all English based charities are run by conservatives?
Whatever it was it upset her enough to take her talents away and that's sad. The article in the Times stated it was about English based charities not liking the politics in Scotland. I wasn't 'blaming' England, just quoting from part of the article.
I've no idea scunnert. I do know the only cancer charity I give to is the Ninewells Cancer Trust who don't have a PR machine but do exceptional work in cancer research. (Ninewells is the teaching hospital in Dundee but I suppose you know that).
I have to say that i have been reticent to give money to the MS Society for several reason's. the trickle of high paid positions that they advertise in the national newspapers being one, when i feel that the money should be better spent on research on the disease.
Another reason is their constant insistance in using the 10000 people with MS statistic, which is as out of date as the atlas i got when I left primary school. I wish they would get the MS register off the ground, and not complain about a lack of funds from Government. I also wish that they would get basic facts right. There was a story, pushed by the MS Society, that lack of vitimin D is a factor in MS. It is actualy vitimin D12, the stuff you get from the sun which is a factor. No one rectified this mistake.
Sorry for the post, but i do feel that for the Charity which is for the fastest growing disease in Scotland, it does a shoddy job in creating awareness and promoting it's cause. For example, are people aware of the types of MS
My partner, i should point out has MS. She is incredibly brave about it. It is because of this that I wish the MS Society were not the only show in town.
Im not dissagreeing with you at all. Scotland has the highest incidence, per head of population, of MS in the world. There are large MS clusters in Orkney, Dundee and in the West of Scotland. And the other countries with large incidences of MS are all countries with a large Scottish diaspra. I think that its only RIGHT that the MS Society concentrates Scottish money in Scotland, i only wish it did it in a better fashion.
Buy the way, thanks for the comment on my blog.
Sorry about that infiltrated crap Allan, I shall put on comment block if he continues.
Allan I didn't mind commenting on your blog as the post asked for my comment :) I understand what you mean. I wonder, do you think it's worth me approaching my MSP to ask if a separate Scottish group could be set up? After all, Ninewells Cancer Trust decided years ago to get away from the national cancer setups because of funding and the fact that London demanded to be the heid bummers.
They now have, and have had for years, a reputation second to none in cancer research. It's not a Trust which has a PR system, every penny goes towards working for research and the professors and workers will speak at any event for free.
Oh forgot to say Allan I've added you to my blog list. Perhaps you could do a post on MS and the problems with the English heirarchy. Anyway I look forward to reading your writings regularly.
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