Scottish MS sufferers to vote on independence from UK charity

Published on Tuesday 7 July 2009 22:04

THOUSANDS of people with multiple sclerosis in Scotland are set to vote on whether to break away from a national charity following a massive row that led Harry Potter author JK Rowling to quit as patron.

The Scotsman has learned that an extraordinary meeting of Scottish branches of the MS Society has been called to debate a possible split.

The charity has been beset with internal acrimony that has led the UK board of trustees to suspend the devolved Scottish council appointed to run the MS Society Scotland (MSSS).

The move, triggered by infighting between the charity's Scottish and London-based leaders, caused a furious Rowling to announce in April that she would no longer carry out her high-profile fundraising role that has generated hundreds of thousands of pounds for the charity.

Rowling, whose mother died from multiple sclerosis at the age of 45, helped to set up a 2.5 million MS research centre in Edinburgh.

Announcing her decision to end her ten-year association with the charity, she said she could not continue to be the public face of a charity that was "changing beyond recognition".

"With mounting frustration and disappointment, I have witnessed resignations of immensely dedicated people within MSSS and the increasing demoralisation of staff whom I have come to know and admire over the ten years of our association," she said.

Eleven of Scotland's 35 MS Society branches have called for ay meeting in September to discuss the way ahead.

And one branch has already drawn up a motion calling on Scottish members to break from the UK body.

That motion reads: "The Caithness branch committee move that the Multiple Sclerosis Society in Scotland should be independent of the Multiple Sclerosis Society in the rest of the UK and should have its own constitution."

The motion could trigger a ballot of Scotland's 3,500 MS Society members. A two-thirds majority would be needed to carry the motion.

Caithness branch chairwoman Pat Stanley said: "I think independence should be seriously investigated.

"If the members decide they want to be part of a larger organisation with a bigger voice, it needs to be one that people have confidence in."

An MS Society spokesman said: "MS doesn't respect national boundaries and we believe there are strong arguments for staying a UK-wide charity, but as always we are happy to discuss the pros and cons of independence.

"We get the best results when we work together. For example, being a UK-wide charity means we are more effective in bringing together scientists across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the fight against MS."

WHEN BRAIN MESSAGES FAIL

MULTIPLE Sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults.

About 85,000 people in the UK have MS.

In Scotland it is estimated that there are 10,500 people with MS – believed to be more people per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Well-known people with the disease in Scotland include former Scotland footballer Brian Irvine and BBC reporter Elizabeth Quigley.

MS is the result of damage to myelin – a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged, this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.