Letters: SNP need to engage those who don’t attend meetings

I was part of the 2014 membership surge, and was disappointed upon attending my first (and last) branch meeting to find all the cogs and gears of the committee process alive and well. The time-served incumbents in my branch were pleasant enough, and clearly delighted to see so many new faces. But as the meeting wore on and new members began to speak, it became apparent that the tired old machineries of protocol were not to be meddled with. There were ways of doing things, and these were patiently explained to us.

I don’t see how adding another layer of the same would encourage people like me to participate more. I imagine the main activists at the proposed regional level would be those who are already embedded in the machine.

Tommy suggests that “every one of the SNP’s 200-odd branches could submit a proposal” having already pointed to the low participation rates in branch affairs. How would such branch-derived proposals engage those who don’t attend branch meetings?

One glaring example of how people like myself are treated by the current system is that in the years since I joined I have never been asked to vote for any of the branch officers. I believe this is done at the AGM, which I don’t attend.

Surely such membership rights should extend equally to all members, not just those who attend branch meetings?

There are more inclusive ways of doing this – as most modern trades unions would attest.

In this day and age are we really necessarily bound to the old ways of doing things? Surely we can envisage and enact better mechanisms of democracy within political parties, as indeed we should in wider society. Before asking branches how newer members could be enthused I think we might be better reaching out directly to those newer members themselves, bypassing the branches entirely.

If most of your members are not attending branch meetings, and are not participating in activism, then you have to assume that your mechanism is no longer fit for purpose – the purpose being to make the best use of the talents of the membership.

Things change, and we must respond, but adding another layer of committee-style bureaucratic structure will do nothing to attract those of us who feel their blood turning to dust at the prospect.

Name and address supplied

I WOULD caution those who are calling for indyref2 now as being too impatient and playing into the Unionists’ hands. The Unionists will say it is too early, the country does not want one now or, now is not the time. Also the London government would probably declare it illegal.

I would suggest that our government should call a referendum asking the Sottish people if they want a second referendum after we know the outcome of Brexit. If the answer is yes it will be hard for the Unionists to argue against it (the people are sovereign), if the answer is no then it would be unlikely that we would win indyref2 at this time.

A reality check at one polling station in East Renfrewshire:on ballot box samples the No vote was 82 per cent.

Alastair Carmichael
(Ex SNP Provost of East Renfrewshire)

HAS Scotland ever see such a political chameleon as Ruth Davidson? She changes political policies to comply with the environment which is most suitable for her Westminster ambitions.

She fought the last General Election allegedly against the SNP obsession with independence and campaigned on nothing but the “independence issue” which was not an issue. She supported Remain in the EU referendum, as did a considerable majority of Scottish voters, but she has changed sides on that now. She said publicly that Boris Johnson lied in the Brexit campaign, then claimed he was the best candidate for British Home Secretary.

She has relentlessly complained about the Scottish NHS, but has found nothing wrong with the much worse NHS in England. She was going to oppose a hard Brexit, but now supports it. She wanted a reasonable deal for Scotland in the Westminster power grab on devolved powers, but again she has changed her stance and urged the Scottish Government and parliament to give in.

Is there any single political policy which Ruth Davison believes in and will defend, or is her personal political ambition more important than any political objective?

Andy Anderson
Saltcoats

SO it’s Lorne Sausages now (Now it’s ‘British’ square sausage, May 3). If I was a cartoonist, I’d draw a British bulldog peeing on every corner and leaving red-white-and-blue streaks on the pavements, and a royal graffiti artist scrawling “Queen” and “Prince” on the walls. Does the British state really believe Scots will just swallow their irritation on seeing Union flags and royal names stuck on everything Scottish?

Derek Ball
Bearsden

I WOULD urge Kelvin McKenna to study Lesley Riddoch’s article (MUP won’t fix our alcohol problem – but it’s a start, May 3) and compare it with his own published on Wednesday.

Lesley’s is, in my opinion, a thoughtful and positive contribution to the debate, whereas Kevin’s brought to mind ex-MP John (now Baron) Reid’s attack on the restrictions on smoking and rise into tobacco duties. And in case I’m being seen as “one of the elite”, as Kevin writes, I would add that I’m a moderate drinker with a modest income.

Andrew Sanders
Glasgow