Whatever next? First, the Spiritualists’ National Union (SNU) shut down the weekly Spiritualist newspaper Psychic News after almost 80 years, making its staff unemployed and its subscribers out of pocket. Next, it showed its gratitude to three members of its Philosophy and Ethics Committee, who had written two excellent books, by replacing them. Then Duncan Gascoyne, former SNU president and chairman of the Arthur Findlay College, resigned in protest at the lack of consultation that he was receiving from the National Executive Committee after more than a decade in that position. Now – in what amounts to the biggest slap in the face yet for one of the Union’s most respected and dedicated workers, Eric Hatton – it has banned the Arthur Findlay College (AFC) from selling Taking Up The Challenge, the superb autobiography by Eric Hatton, former SNU president and college chairman, the Union’s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award holder and its first and only honorary president. Who, in their right minds, would want to deprive Spiritualists from reading his life story? And why?
Sue Farrow, former editor of Psychic News who is continuing to be the voice of independent Spiritualism on her ‘Spirit of PN’ website, has just broken the story of the ban on Eric’s book. You’ll find the full story here.
Before running the story, she asked SNU president David Bruton to confirm that Taking Up The Challenge had been banned from sale at the college. She also asked whether he was aware that the decision had been taken, and whether it was a collective decision by the SNU’s NEC or the action of the AFC’s new chairman, Andrew Hadley. In addition, she wanted to know why the book had been on sale at the college prior to Gascoyne’s resignation and Hadley’s appointment.
The reply she received came not from Bruton but from Charles Coulston, SNU general secretary, who side-stepped most of these questions. His response, which Sue gives in full, begins by asserting that “the internal decision-making processes within the Union are a matter for the National Executive Committee and its Officers and not for private individuals to question”.
Such arrogance!
Regular visitors to www.ParanormalReview.com will recall that last year David Bruton refused to answer a question I put to him simply because he did not like something else I’d written earlier.
Do those running the SNU not realise that it is essential that their actions are scrutinised by independent observers and that they also have a duty to their membership to act with integrity and transparency?
So what was Coulston’s response to the main thrust of Sue Farrow’s questions?
“The Union has exercised its right, in common with all organisations which sell books, to decide what it will stock and what it will not. In the case of Minister Hatton’s book it was discovered late in the day that there were a number of references in the book to the Union’s activities which were inaccurate, misleading and denigratory of the Union: our minutes show the accurate version of events, which clearly differ considerably from the book.
“The Union sees no reason why it should stock any book which contains unfounded statements and derogatory innuendoes about the Union: no other organisation would countenance the promotion of a publication which contained such baseless and unwarranted assertions and insinuations against itself and its governing body.”
Banned books usually sell very well and I hope Eric’s will be no exception. It deserves to be a Spiritualist best-seller on its own merits: it abounds with fascinating accounts of his experiences with some of the finest physical and mental mediums, as well as offering insights about his business and personal life. I hope that the AFC ban on selling his book will encourage the entire SNU membership to buy it (just click on the book cover, here, to buy it through Amazon) and find out what it is the NEC does not want people to read.
What amuses me is that when David Bruton is not trying to steer the SNU ship through choppy waters he runs a retail newsagents, selling newspapers and magazines whose contents and opinions, doubtless, he does not always agree with. If anyone should understand the principles of free speech, it is the SNU president.
I trust, for his sake and the Union’s – assuming he is the ship’s captain and not a cabin boy – that Bruton lives up to his presidential pledge and starts communicating effectively with his committees, his membership and those of us who take the trouble to report on its activities.
And he could start by picking up the phone and calling Eric Hatton to offer his sincere apologies that the dispute over his autobiography has been handled so badly and disrespectfully. He should then authorise publication of a statement that puts the Union’s side of the issues Hatton has discussed and which the minutes apparently contradict.
Without that, the membership can make its own judgment and, having known Eric for well over 40 years, and knowing him to be a man of honesty and integrity, I’d put my money on his account of events every time, and I’m sure most SNU members will, too..
With careful steering, a fair wind and a crew who are encouraged to put the emphasis on “spiritual” rather than “ego” and “power”, I’m sure the SNU ship can eventually get back on course and return safely to port and start behaving in a way that Spiritualists can be proud of once more. But it will need more positive leadership than it has at present if a mutiny is to be avoided.