This letter from Ben Thomson appeared in the Scotsman.
In response to John Milne (Letters, 20 September), Reform Scotland does not claim its principles are the only Scottish principles, merely that the notions of limited government, diversity and personal responsibility have a long and proud Scottish heritage stretching back to Adam Smith and David Hume – something that is too often forgotten.Such philosophers were deeply concerned about the common good and strengthening civil society. They believed this was a shared responsibility and that we all had to play our part, since a strong society is built from the bottom up, not the top down.
That is very much Reform Scotland’s approach, which is why our work has focused on how we can devolve power downwards to local communities and people.
For example, we have placed particular emphasis on the revitalisation of local government in Scotland and the extension of the vital role of voluntary organisations as keys, both to improve public services and to create a stronger, more cohesive society.
We believe this approach is broad enough to enable us to develop policy recommendations which appeal across the political spectrum and why we are delighted that people such as Wendy Alexander, Jim Mather, Jeremy Purvis and Derek Brownlee have recently joined our advisory board.
Ben Thomson
Reform Scotland
North St David Street
Edinburgh