Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy and Scotlands Faith Leaders Encourage Voter turnout for the European Parliament Elections.

Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy,Cardinal O'Brien head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland,Rabbi Rubin Senior Rabbi in Scotland and Rt Rev David Lunan Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland discuss the forthcoming European Parliament Elections.

The Secretary of State for Scotland along with leaders and representatives of Scotland’s main faith communities today (Monday 16 February) urged communities to turn out to vote in the European Parliament elections on 4 June this year given poor turn out in past elections and amid fears that extremist parties could win a greater share of the vote and become the focus of greater attention.

Jim Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, who had the support of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, the Head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church Scotland, and Glasgow Central Mosque said-



“In a few months time, Scotland will have the chance to vote in an important election. The European Elections take place on June 4th. There is a perception among people in Scotland that the European Parliament elections are irrelevant to life in Scotland and therefore there is little point in voting, but that simply isn’t true.

“Many important decisions affecting our everyday lives are made in Brussels, including on issues relating to the economy, employment, pensions, climate change, immigration and crime. So these elections provide a real opportunity for people to have a say in and influence the business and priorities of Europe over the next 5 years.

Voter turn out in the UK in the last European elections was below the average for the European Union as a whole, and following a survey undertaken last year, 32% of people in the UK said they would “definitely not vote” in the June 2009 elections compared with 14% across the EU as a whole.

“This is very worrying as it sometimes happens that when the majority don’t vote, extremist parties can have a disproportionately large influence. This would be extremely damaging for Scotland, particularly given great efforts by many in recent years to build community cohesion.

“‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing’ so we are urging people to exercise their right to vote on 4 June, which they can do by post if it’s more convenient for them. It’s also important for people to check that they are able to vote by ensuring they are registered, and local authorities and the Electoral Commission are more than willing to provide voters with information, help and advice if needed.

The Faith Leaders ready to sign up for the Interfaith Commitment to encourage people to turn out and vote in the European Parliament Elections on June 4th 2009

Cardinal O'Brien signs up.

Photographs by and copyright of Paul Mc Sherry

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