Friday, May 1, 2015

Letter to IT on GRA involving itself in referendum debate (I'm for Yes BTW)

it is a shame that reactions to the GRA's call for a Yes vote have broken down along partisan lines -with those of a similar viewpoint supporting the GRA's action and those of a different view opposing it.

However, this is to confuse two different issues. Whatever view one takes on the referendum, maintaining a politically impartial police force is important to our society and in particular to the holding of polls. Given the important role that Gards play in the holding of polls, maintaining outward impartiality is as important for them as it is for Returning Officers and other poll workers. This burden of maintaining impartiality falls on Gards as a collective -and also as individual Gards. The GRA, in speaking for their members in this way, have shown scant regard for their members' responsibilities to remain outwardly impartial. No matter how sincerely they support this viewpoint, the GRA are letting their members down by compromising them in this way.

I'm sure the majority of Gards (regardless of which views they hold) would prefer if their representative body would respect the role that they will have to perform on May 22nd and avoid making further comments about either referendum on their behalf. Many of them will have important public roles in the  security of polling stations, count centres and especially ballot boxes. They need the trust of the public and both sides of the referenda campaigns to discharge these roles properly. The GRA should not get in the way of that.
sincerely