Who is speaking for whom?

SIR, – An Open Letter to Patrick Krause and the board of the Scottish Crofting Federation. Having been actively involved in Crofting for more than 40 years now, I am deeply disheartened to see the continuing efforts of the SCF to drive a wedge between their members and crofters who believe they are being fairly represented by the NFUS.
Crofters have never agreed about much, be it religion, football team or union, but they have always managed to come together to maintain the fragile social structure so many people value.  
Whatever the views of the SCF, crofters and farmers throughout Scotland work together every day to achieve their common goals and the attempt to break that bond does crofting as a whole a great disservice.
The SCF does not speak for crofters like me who believe crofting and farming are inextricably linked, and that active crofting can only survive as an integral part of a strong Scottish agriculture.
Perhaps the SCF board should consider the following: The Sleat General Grazings Committee (like the rest of crofting) comprises crofters who are members of SCF, members of the NFUS or are unaffiliated to either organisation.  
This Committee has been elected to represent the interest of 75 crofting shareholders, the majority of whom are members of neither organisation.  
To acknowledge the support all these crofters have received from the NFUS on the issues raised on their behalf by the committee, it was proposed that the SGGC became a member of the NFUS. That proposal was unanimously approved.  
In the spirit of openness and fairness, it was also proposed the committee took out membership of the SCF, which was unanimously rejected.  
So who is speaking for whom?