You have until the end of 18th June 2024 to register to vote in the General Election.
See https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You can register from the age of 14 in Scotland, but you are only eligible to vote in the General Election if you are at least 18 years old on 4th July 2024.
There are now crib sheets and short videos on the Christian Aid website with key points for engaging with candidates for the General Election or your newly elected MP on debt, climate and peace.
Join Christian Aid for an evening with BAFTA-winning film maker Gillian Mosely as we screen her recent film The Tinderbox and explore the issues it raises examining both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, its roots and what needs to happen for it to stop.
Register for The Tinderbox Screening Online
The event will take place in Augustine United Church (41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL) and online on Monday 24 June 6:30-9:30pm. For more information please contact edinburgh@christian-aid.org.
General Election 2024
On behalf of the churches that we serve, we encourage Christians in Scotland to engage actively, constructively, and charitably in the democratic process of the General Election called for 4th July 2024.
We pray:
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You send forth your Spirit into all the earth
That we might know you
And your will for all creation.
Grant to us knowledge that your will might be done
In the times in which we live.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
You rule over the nations
And call them to account
That they might better reflect your purposes
And your desire for all humanity to flourish.
Grant to us a concern for all who share in the life of our nation
That together we might flourish and prosper and grow.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
You call us to hear again the ancient words,
Engraved in the Central Lobby of Parliament:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
The builders labour in vain.
Grant that these words may continue to inspire
And to offer counsel to those elected to office.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
You call us to live
As citizens of the world that is to come
And so may we strive to see your Kingdom come
On earth as it is in heaven.
As good citizens, may we participate in our community
As you guide us so to do, through Christ and by your Spirit.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Signed:
The Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has this week launched a Call for Views on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.
You can access more information about the Bill and the Call for Views here:
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill
About this call for evidence
The purpose of this call for evidence is to gather views on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. Those views will inform the Committee’s scrutiny.
The call for views and analysis:
The Committee will base any assessment of public opinion on published data from opinion polls. As responses to this call for evidence will be self-selecting, they cannot be assumed to be representative of public opinion and will not be treated as such.
There are two options for those wishing to participate in this Call for Views.
Short survey
This is for people who wish to express general views about the Bill as a whole, including:
A summary of responses to the short survey will be published. However, we will not publish each response in full, or the names of people who responded.
The short survey is also available in Easy Read format for people with a learning disability, in British Sign Language (BSL) for people who communicate through BSL, and in Gaelic.
Detailed call for evidence
This is for people, groups, bodies or organisations who wish to comment on specific aspects of the Bill.
We aim to publish all submissions to the detailed call for evidence, with the exception of those that are made on a “confidential” or “not for publication” basis.
However, please note: If we receive a very high volume of submissions, we may not have the resources to process and publish them all.
Campaigning
We recognise that campaign groups with a view, either in favour or against the Bill, may want to encourage supporters to share their views.
All such submissions are welcome if submitted individually using this platform.
If we become aware that campaign groups are using non-standard means to channel their supporters’ views, we may be unable to accept those submissions. Examples of this include a high volume of submissions from a single Internet Protocol address, or submissions that appear to be machine generated.
We reserve the right to reject submissions that have reached us via third-party software unless we can be satisfied that they are the views of real individuals who have given the appropriate permissions and have been given access to all relevant accompanying information (including the Scottish Parliament’s privacy notice explaining how their personal data will be processed) before submitting their views.
We would encourage any interested campaign group to contact us. We can discuss how to ensure your supporters can respond to the call for evidence in a way that avoids the risk of submissions being rejected.
Even where submissions meet all the requirements, organisations might want to consider contacting us to discuss the most effective way to engage with this call for evidence to ensure that people’s views are heard.
A co-ordinated response might be more effective than encouraging mass submissions.
Other formats
The Scottish Parliament is committed to making its online content as accessible as possible. If you need this content in a different format, please contact ADBill@parliament.scot.
Deadline for responses
This call for views will close at 11.59pm on Friday, 16 August 2024 and no extensions will be given for late submissions.
Read the Methodist blog and start thinking!
Tracey Collins, Wellbeing Officer in the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Methodist District, has written a blog to shed light on how we can tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.
