April 11, 2023 - 11:57am
What has gone wrong with politics in Scotland? It’s only two months since a wildly irresponsible piece of legislation, allowing men to change their legal sex without safeguards, helped to bring down the country’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. You might think that Humza Yousaf, who has taken over as leader in the midst of a significant crisis within the SNP, would think twice about pressing ahead with reforms that have attracted such widespread ridicule.
Think again. At the weekend, the new First Minister signalled that he intends to go to court to challenge the UK Government’s veto of the Gender Recognition Reform bill. It’s a bizarre decision, reviving a controversy that’s lost the SNP thousands of members, but maybe the party is desperate for any headlines that might distract attention from the police investigation into its finances.
Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, who was the SNP’s chief executive for many years, was arrested and questioned for twelve hours last week. He was released without charge but new and lurid details of the investigation are emerging every day. The couple deny any wrongdoing, but any hope that Sturgeon’s resignation would draw a line under the party’s troubles has been dashed.
Challenging the UK Government’s Section 35 order in court provides an opportunity to grandstand about ‘interference’ in Scottish affairs. Ian Blackford, who was ousted as leader of the SNP at Westminster in December, did just that at the weekend, describing the Scottish Secretary’s veto of the bill as a “democratic outrage”. Many might think that the phrase is more applicable to resuscitating a piece of legislation that so patently lacks popular support, and which was passed at Holyrood in the face of credible warnings that it would be used by sexual predators.
But the bigger question is why women’s concerns have become so easily disregarded in Scotland. Last week, it emerged that new sentencing guidelines mean that convicted rapists under the age of 25 may be able to avoid a custodial sentence because — apparently — their brains are not fully developed. Sentencing Sean Hogg, who raped a 13-year-old girl when he was 17, a judge said he would have imposed a four- or five-year prison sentence if Hogg had been over the age of 25. Instead, he has to do 270 hours of community service, prompting the author JK Rowling to suggest that young Scottish men are being told ‘first time’s free’.
Not even a week later, the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, called on Sir Keir Starmer to pass a law allowing 16-year-olds to change their legal sex should his party win the next general election. In Scotland, politicians evidently believe that schoolchildren are mature enough to make life-changing decisions about transitioning. But the criminal justice system takes a very different view when it comes to understanding the consequences of attacking girls and women.
When the double rapist Adam Graham appeared in court in Glasgow in January, wearing a blonde wig and calling himself ‘Isla Bryson’, it felt like a mortal blow had been delivered against trans ideology. For the first time, many people in Scotland realised just how fragile women’s rights have become as politicians listen to lobby groups who insist that ‘gender identity’ trumps biology. Now Yousaf is trying to resurrect Sturgeon’s zombie gender reforms. Whether he’s a true believer in this deeply flawed legislation, rather than just cynically looking for an opportunity to blow raspberries at Westminster and distract from his own party’s failings, is immaterial. Either way, the SNP is not standing up for women.
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SubscribeWell, what do you expect?
Humza is Muslim and they are not renowned for upholding women rights.
It looks like the only sane person in Scotland is Rowling….
They are not renown fans of people who are heterosexually inclined
They are not renown fans of people who are heterosexually inclined
Well, what do you expect?
Humza is Muslim and they are not renowned for upholding women rights.
It looks like the only sane person in Scotland is Rowling….
I don’t get it. Politicians sell out their values literally all the time. Yet the SNP is willing to tank it all by its unwavering support for a radical ideology that has virtually no grassroots support. This nonsense is the hill it is willing to die on. I’m baffled. I don’t understand the logic at all.
I have no facts to support this, but I suspect that an extremely powerful group of people are behind transgender ideology and would love nothing more than to see young people discard healthy gender roles in order to become docile sexual playthings.
In the absence of a logical explanation what else can it be?
One is tempted to say ‘You couldn’t make it up!’ But Simon Edge’s ‘The End of the Earth is Flat’ has a good go, wherein the heretics who believe the earth is a globe are vilified as ‘True-Earth Rejecting Globularists’ (Tergs). Francis Wheen’s review ‘a bracingly sharp satire in the tyranny of twaddle’ sums it up rather nicely.
In the absence of a logical explanation what else can it be?
One is tempted to say ‘You couldn’t make it up!’ But Simon Edge’s ‘The End of the Earth is Flat’ has a good go, wherein the heretics who believe the earth is a globe are vilified as ‘True-Earth Rejecting Globularists’ (Tergs). Francis Wheen’s review ‘a bracingly sharp satire in the tyranny of twaddle’ sums it up rather nicely.
The single greatest obstacle to absolute state power is the family. The ideology isn’t really about trans people at all. It’s about the destruction of parental authority.
That is what appeals to a man with the totalitarian instincts of Humza Youssef. He probably doesn’t even realise that himself.
I have no facts to support this, but I suspect that an extremely powerful group of people are behind transgender ideology and would love nothing more than to see young people discard healthy gender roles in order to become docile sexual playthings.
The single greatest obstacle to absolute state power is the family. The ideology isn’t really about trans people at all. It’s about the destruction of parental authority.
That is what appeals to a man with the totalitarian instincts of Humza Youssef. He probably doesn’t even realise that himself.
I don’t get it. Politicians sell out their values literally all the time. Yet the SNP is willing to tank it all by its unwavering support for a radical ideology that has virtually no grassroots support. This nonsense is the hill it is willing to die on. I’m baffled. I don’t understand the logic at all.
If the issues involved weren’t so serious, the spectacle of the SNP imploding under the weight of its own hypocrisy and alleged corruption would be a marvellous spectacle.
In that regard, good to see the party has elected as its new leader, someone with the appetite for carrying on that tradition.
If the issues involved weren’t so serious, the spectacle of the SNP imploding under the weight of its own hypocrisy and alleged corruption would be a marvellous spectacle.
In that regard, good to see the party has elected as its new leader, someone with the appetite for carrying on that tradition.
While I would usually be a fan of “never interrupting your opponent when he’s making a mistake”, this is just an insane piece of legislation pursued fanatically by an insane government. If the people of Scotland don’t vote these clowns out, they deserve to live in the hell they made.
While I would usually be a fan of “never interrupting your opponent when he’s making a mistake”, this is just an insane piece of legislation pursued fanatically by an insane government. If the people of Scotland don’t vote these clowns out, they deserve to live in the hell they made.
I read this which might shed light on what is behind this stand: ‘Iran has the death penalty for homosexuality but subsidizes sex reassignment surgery.’
Girls who become boys remain girls so that’s OK: boys who become girls are … well … girls so that’s OK. Certainly reduces the executions for homosexual acts.
Girls who become boys remain girls so that’s OK: boys who become girls are … well … girls so that’s OK. Certainly reduces the executions for homosexual acts.
I read this which might shed light on what is behind this stand: ‘Iran has the death penalty for homosexuality but subsidizes sex reassignment surgery.’
“…the SNP is not standing up for women.” It’s barely standing up at all. I predict a Humpty Dumpty “had a great fall” end to this party. It’s toppling.
“…the SNP is not standing up for women.” It’s barely standing up at all. I predict a Humpty Dumpty “had a great fall” end to this party. It’s toppling.
Determination to force through something which is not only patently wrong but also against the wishes of an overwhelming majority of Scots voters is entirely within character for Humza. Remember, he is not only the one who energetically pushed through the Suppression of Free Speech Bill (under the fig leaf of being anti-hate); he also tried his best to defeat the few amendments MSPs managed to make to temper the most extreme authoritarian provisions (so extreme even the SNP eventually had to agree the amendments). He is not Machiavelian but quite simply wholly committed to the dictatorship of the ruling Party!
Determination to force through something which is not only patently wrong but also against the wishes of an overwhelming majority of Scots voters is entirely within character for Humza. Remember, he is not only the one who energetically pushed through the Suppression of Free Speech Bill (under the fig leaf of being anti-hate); he also tried his best to defeat the few amendments MSPs managed to make to temper the most extreme authoritarian provisions (so extreme even the SNP eventually had to agree the amendments). He is not Machiavelian but quite simply wholly committed to the dictatorship of the ruling Party!
Think of all the time, energy, money and productivity that is being wasted pursuing this gender nonsense! Why don’t government, academic and corporate leaders spend the sam amount of resources solving real problems for real people? The whole LGBTQ+ agenda is a red herring. It’s distracting us from reality. And it’s obvious underpinnings are Marxist and totalitarian. This is NOT about individual freedom or rights. It is about the tyranny of ideologues.
Think of all the time, energy, money and productivity that is being wasted pursuing this gender nonsense! Why don’t government, academic and corporate leaders spend the sam amount of resources solving real problems for real people? The whole LGBTQ+ agenda is a red herring. It’s distracting us from reality. And it’s obvious underpinnings are Marxist and totalitarian. This is NOT about individual freedom or rights. It is about the tyranny of ideologues.
How long was Liz Truss Prime Minister? Hopefully the same will happen to Yousaf… But we should then have an election as otherwise Scotland will be bankrupt by the huge waste of public money that this government want to spend going yo court over the GRR and again re a second referendum!
How long was Liz Truss Prime Minister? Hopefully the same will happen to Yousaf… But we should then have an election as otherwise Scotland will be bankrupt by the huge waste of public money that this government want to spend going yo court over the GRR and again re a second referendum!
The problem starts with the idea that people of any age can change s*x – They can’t.
The “New Elite” is amusing us all by going full bonkers in front of our eyes.
The problem starts with the idea that people of any age can change s*x – They can’t.
The “New Elite” is amusing us all by going full bonkers in front of our eyes.
“The new First Minister will do anything to rescue the SNP”
I don’t understand the above portion of the headline to the article. Surely pressing ahead with this lunatic piece of legislation is far more likely to sink the SNP rather than rescue it. Is Humza Useless a secret Unionist intent on trashing whatever remains of the SNP’s reputation.
I can understand the Scots wanting to be independent, but why signal you want independence to pass idiotic and unpopular legislation.
“The new First Minister will do anything to rescue the SNP”
I don’t understand the above portion of the headline to the article. Surely pressing ahead with this lunatic piece of legislation is far more likely to sink the SNP rather than rescue it. Is Humza Useless a secret Unionist intent on trashing whatever remains of the SNP’s reputation.
I can understand the Scots wanting to be independent, but why signal you want independence to pass idiotic and unpopular legislation.
Hell, if i go to Scotland on a Scotch tour, will shemals be pouring?
Hell, if i go to Scotland on a Scotch tour, will shemals be pouring?