Views from the conference
Elaine Duncan, CEO of Scottish Bible Society Cllr Kieran Turner. Cllr James Bundy
Elaine Duncan, CEO of Scottish Bible Society Cllr Kieran Turner. Cllr James Bundy
Freedom of expression is key in our modern society and the freedom to wear symbols of our beliefs or causes that we support is also of paramount importance. No one can own or claim a colour to be their own, the gender critical movement do not own the suffragette colours, any more than the SNP own the saltire or Conservatives own the colour blue. To suggest such a thing is nonsense, and to exclude someone from public debate because they are wearing a particular colour is quite frankly outrageous.
It looks like we are about to embark on a turbulent time for public sector workers. Strikes on our railways over the last few weeks and months, post office workers, waste operators all striking and more ballots happening every week.
Every church and every congregation in Scotland is likely to have someone who is facing the decision on whether to withdraw their labour or cross a picket line and continue to work.
Politicians are a funny breed (I should know as I was one and know lots). You have to be a certain kind of person to put yourself willingly through selection and an election campaign. Having your face on tens of thousands of leaflets, walk miles and miles delivering them, put yourself through local husting meetings, put yourself out there on social media, make speeches to rooms of people who disagree with you, only to lose very publicly, humiliatingly, and with crowds of people cheering your defeat – I’m not selling this am I…?
Over croissants and bacon rolls participants heard a sermon referencing Psalm 23, led by Rev Isaac who is the founder and CEO of Ascension Trust and also a pioneer of Street Pastors. Many politicians were there including all the main players in what is now a leadership race, one of them has said that it was this sermon that moved him to resign and effectively put the final nail in the coffin of Boris Johnson’s Prime Ministership.
For over a century modern global peace and security has been governed by a system of treaties and international agreements. Events like COP26 and organisations like the G8 give nations hope that by working together we can build a better world, and combat some of the global challenges that exist. These are founded on trust. Trust that nations will stick to their agreements, and trust that a change of Government in any nation will not affect that commitment.