Surely it's correctly and appropriately the responsibility of the Director to do what she considers best for the day to day running of the Society?

Were this petition to result in the board taking the side of the sacked member of staff, it would in effect be a vote of no confidence in the Director, who has steered a period in which the society's reputation and profile has greatly improved, massive Arts Council funding has been gained and then - only comparitively recenty - the marketing manager appointed as a result of this funding being available. It would make her position very difficult.

I begin to wonder if this petition could be part of an attempt at a palace coup by people who want the director replaced or maybe even fancy the job themselves. It would be a terrible thing if the society were to be torn apart by infighting as happened in the 1980s, just as its achieving so many good things.

Therefore, I still think that signing this petition without a full knowledge of both sides of the story is, to say the least, unwise bearing in mind those ramifications.