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At last October's meeting of Edinburgh District Council, two Tory councillors moved the following resolution: "That this District Council seck assurance from the Lord Advocate that the provisions of the law of Scotland relating to homosexuality will be fully explored."
What councillors MacKintosh and MacFie wanted was for the Lord Advocate to go back on a written assurance nOW some three years old that he would not enforce the law in cases which would not merit prosccution under England and Wales* more liberal legislation.
The Council chairman, John Millar, showed some tact by ruling the motion out of order. However, in accepting his ruling. the Council was only side-stepping one more chapter in their continuing campaign against homosexuals. Using her position as deputy chairperson of the ruling Tory group, Kathleen MacFie has conducted a vendetta against the Scottish Minorities Group (SMG), the nation's major gay group.
In 1976, with the able assistance of her
associate Sally Pringle, she succeeded in getting the Council to refuse SMG permission to put up a small brass nameplate outside their premises in Broughton Street, Edinburgh. The aflair was only settled after i wild campaign of abuse against the SMG when the Secretary of State granted permission for the plaque.
At the end of last year MacFie and Pringle won victory when a planning application was issued restricting use of the SMG centre to the hours between 9am. and 5 pm. Mondays to Soturdays. Such a condition has never been imposed on any other premises. As SMG use their Broughton Street offices for various meetings and the counselling of gays throughout Scotland, such restrictions make the centre virtually unusable.
A public enquiry has now been called for April, following another appeal to the Secretary of State. All the evidence suggests that the District Council will use the opportunity to whip up a hysterical campaign against SMG. Already, they have assembled a body of hysterical, inaccurate and antiquated "evidence", in some cases
stretching back more than four years. The enquiry will also provide a platform for the various individuals who have been campaigning to get SMG out of Broughton Street -and, perhaps, Edinburgh too. Their bigoted statements have already received widespread publicity.
Fortunately, SMG has received some support from the Labour movement. One Labour Councillor, Bill Taylor, will act as SMG's counsel, while others are expected to offer evidence on SMG's behalf. Hopes are high that the local government union, NALGO, will also give their backing to SMG.
If the District Council are allowed to get away with their sabotage of SMG, all the evidence suggests that it won't stop there. Councillors MacFie and MacKintosh have already indicated that they want the Government to use a Bill passed at the end of last year which reaffirms the illegality of homosexuality north of the border.
ANDREW WYLIE (Executive Member SMG)