Letters / SCT should be totally open
“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” H. L. Mencken
YES, trustees should be elected, whether via the council or directly. There is also scope for direct democracy where some trustees are appointed in the same way that a jury is selected.
There is no reason why directly elected trustees should be any more or less “saintly” than councillors. These representatives can then call on the advice of specialists.
It is time the public took more responsibility – and now is the time because the Internet means that news media and opinion are no longer in the hands of a few.
Shetland Charitable Trust should be totally open – totally. All meetings should be broadcast live and posted on social media. There should be no meetings in private, as decisions about charity do not need to be.
If a decision cannot be made in public, it should not be made.
The trust should have an eye to the near future at a time when digital technology will mean that decisions can be made via directly involving all adults in Shetland.
The constitution of the trust has to have charity at its core. The charities regulator is not interested in “charity” per se. The trust has to guarantee that its funding is not directed from those in need towards those who are not in need.
The trust has to be aware of funding schemes which appear to benefit the whole public, but which actually exclude lower income groups from public spaces. This creates an ethos that feeds on itself, very subtly – an ethos that inequality is natural and desired.
The public sector and charities should not be involved in “snob value” projects.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant and a good dose of openness, along with a good constitution, should work against selfishness, incompetence and corruption.
The constitution should also guard against despotic and obstinate majorities. The trust must have a robust constitution that defends minorities.
Trustees should be subject to recall in cases of alleged corruption. The trust, however, also requires leadership and leadership requires a period of tenure. I’d suggest a maximum of four years and a maximum of two terms.
The power of patronage in peerie Shetland is a stifling grip on countervailing opinion. The trust has to ensure that criticism is allowed. It has to address this via its constitution and by other means.
Ivan Coghill
Otago Lane
Glasgow
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