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113
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1 Meeting for Sufferings
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2
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3 3 December 2016
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4
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5 Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative
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6
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7 This meeting was almost entirely taken up with information being
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8 shared with/via Meeting for Sufferings, what follows are a few
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9 summaries of things Friends may find interesting and which some may
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10 wish to pursue further.
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11
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12 All the papers for the meeting are available online at
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13
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14 http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/meeting-for-sufferings-agenda-papers-package-december-2016
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15
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16 where much more detailed information about these and other matters are
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17 available.
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18
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19 *Finance report*
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20
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21 Overall summary: same deficit as last year, about
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22 750,000GBP, out of 11MGBP. A further 2MGBP is available from 'legacy
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23 funding' for new projects. The Hospitality Company, which manages
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24 Friends House and Swarthmore Hall, represents nearly 1/2 of
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25 centrally-funded staff, but turns a profit for us as a whole, which
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26 goes for our 'charitable work'.
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27
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28 Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) revised its constitutional
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29 arrangements. What is our role in Europe as Brexit unrolls? Our
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30 commitment is to Europe as a community, not an institution. Our
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31 calling is to work for peace in Europe as elsewhere.
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32
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33 *Decriminalisation of the possession, for personal use, of all drugs*
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34
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35 Raised as a concern by Cornwall AM. Lots of feedback following a
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36 request from Sufferings, including from us, but no unity, either among
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37 AMs or at this meeting. In particular, no instruction for any central
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38 action in aid of Cornwall's hope that this consultation "will lead to
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39 BYM agreeing to support decriminalisation and issuing a statement to
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40 that effect".
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41
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42 *Book of Discipline Revision Preparation Group*
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43
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44 This will now _recommend_ a new Book of Discipline, because the Church
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45 Government parts are 'not fit for purpose'. This would come to YM in
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46 2018.
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47
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48 They propose to separate two aspects of the Church Government part --
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49 principles and background on the one hand, and details of operational
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50 processes -- the first in The Book, the rest in 'handbooks',
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51 responsiblity for which should be delegated to MfS.
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52
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53 Reading QF&P project has been very successful, feedback request asking
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54 "What have you learned?" coming to us soon.
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55
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56 *Vision for a Criminal Justice System*
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57
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58 Consultative process, _lots_ of feedback, see MfS website. No
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59 conclusion so far.
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60
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61 *Quaker Life report*
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62
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63 Our Friend Jocelyn Bell Burnell asked some very pointed questions
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64 about the reporting process as currently carried out.
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65
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