Conference organiser, Leslie Mitchell reflects on this year's annual conference.

This year's conference (November 7th) succeeded in airing issues which are pretty central to Humanism in Scotland. There was sensible, concerned debate about 'End of Life Choices', made all the more stimulating by the presence of Margo MacDonald, author and sponsor of the forthcoming bill in the Scottish Parliament. Then we turned to think about wider issues on the role of Humanism in the wider community (something we need to give much more thought to) and who better to challenge our ideas than Werner Schultz, Humanist Director of Education for the Berlin area? The Society there undertakes moral and ethical education in German Schools; Werner is responsible for more than 1,000 teacher employees as well as running humanist pre-school education, youth work and counselling. It's an impressive portfolio, government funded, so our own Bob Mackay and Clare Marsh are going to have their work cut out to match that performance!
On a personal note,in some ways, for me the outstanding contribution on the day came from Tim Hopkins of the Equality Network - an organisation which campaigns, amongst other things, for equality in partnership for heterosexual, gay, lesbian and transgendered people. I thought his contribution was outstanding because it made a complex and complicated legal and social issue very clear, and resolved a number of issues that had been bugging me for quite a time.
Maybe the best thing about the conference this year was the atmosphere in which it took place. Strong views were expressed (what else would you expect?) but within a context of good humour and a sense of being part of a common cause. I think that the annual conference will become an increasingly important place for debating important policy issues on which the society needs to develop its ideas. If this year's conference is anything to go by,  then the future is bright.