JK Rowling

Power struggle has seeped every aspect of society including charity. And that is the exact reason why famous Harry Potter creator J.K Rowling has stepped down from her position of MS Society´s Scottish patron.

The inside story, as revealed by sources, is this: MS Society is one of the UK organizations that do not want to hand over authority to their Scottish branches due to political changes. It is supposed that in the wake of an SNP government, the Scots are demanding more autonomy.

In the situation created due to the political atmosphere, Rowling is not the only Scot to leave MS Society. Mark Hazelwood, the director for the MS Society Scotland, left before the author after a nine year association with the organization. A ¨cash pooling¨ system was one of the issues behind his departure. While England approved a central financial system in which money will be collected from all branches and will be deposited in UK bank, Mr. Hazelwood wanted all the money collected in Scotland to be stored in a Scottish bank so that all the money won´t be lost to UK.

Rowling, who saw her mother die of MS, has supported the UK organization for almost 10 years, offering financial banking to contribute to research on teh disease. The author mentioned that the tension between the English management of MS Society and its Scottish branch has resulted in several resignations.

¨I have now reluctantly decided that I cannot, in good conscience, continue to be the public face of a charity that is changing beyond recognition from the one with which I have been so proud to be associated,¨ Rowling said. She also added ¨I also remain committed to financing future research into the treatment and causes of multiple sclerosis, and to campaigning for better care and treatment of people with MS in Scotland, which is the MS capital of the world. I have not taken the decision to quit my position lightly¨.