I can't see "the majority" of MSPs being willing to put closing a child and vulnerable adult protection loophole ahead of risking being criticised, even just for a few days, on those grounds, but I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised.
— Lucy HunterBlackburn (@LucyHunterB) October 7, 2022
It's no secret that I think the SNP-Green government are making a terrible mistake by pushing ahead with their proposed reforms of gender recognition. Indeed, last year I commissioned a landmark poll for Scot Goes Pop that confirmed beyond any credible dispute that the people of Scotland are overwhelmingly opposed to legally-recognised gender self-ID. But I have to say I find the opening sentence of the second tweet above incomprehensible. It harks back to Johann Lamont's notorious comment about Scots not being "genetically programmed to make political decisions". What is it about us as a country that when we see our government making mistakes, we don't think to ourselves that the problem is the government and that it needs to do better or be replaced, but we instead think "aha, the problem is Scotland itself and how useless we are, best let another country rule us instead"?I will never vote for independence until Scottish Parliament proves it is capable of legislating competently. Men can’t be women. Birth certificates shouldn’t lie. Women shouldn’t be gaslighted after rape, dv, imprisonment, hospitalisation. Children shouldn’t be lied to.
— maggie mellon (@maggiemellon) October 7, 2022
In all likelihood, we are now just eighteen months away from a UK Labour government that will do all of the same things on gender identity in England that the SNP and Greens are doing in Scotland. Keir Starmer's woolly views on how he would define a woman are indistinguishable from Nicola Sturgeon's. Would it ever occur to anyone to react to that by saying "I will never vote against independence until Westminster proves it is capable of legislating competently"? If not, why not? What's the difference? The only difference is the Scottish Cringe, which is a form of self-loathing and crippling inferiority complex. What people are effectively saying, whether they realise it or not, is "I'll never vote for independence until I have confidence in myself".
When Scotland and England are moving in exactly the same direction on gender identity, it's hard to see how independence even comes into it. If you argue that the problem in England is Labour, you can't credibly argue that the problem in Scotland is Scotland. The solution on both sides of the border will only be found via party politics and internal pressure for change within political parties. And, actually, although proponents of self-ID may be winning the short-term battle on the legislation they want to see introduced, they're losing another battle that they probably regard privately as more important in the long run - the battle to police people's thoughts and speech. The Forstater ruling was a major setback for them, and although it remains to be seen whether Mermaids' preposterous challenge to the LGB Alliance's charity status will be dismissed, there does seem to be a situation evolving where gender critical views are recognised as having strong legal protection. If those views can no longer be outrageously shut down as "far-right extremist hate-speech", it will make push-back on specific policy areas a lot more achievable. Even the likes of John Nicolson may eventually be forced to echo Al Gore's famous words by saying: "Although I strongly disagree with these legal judgements, I accept them, and I accept their finality, and I accept that I am bound by them."
Incidentally, I can think of at least two specific policy areas, unrelated to gender identity, in which I believe the Scottish Parliament has got it wrong and Westminster has got it right. But does that mean I think elected Scottish representatives shouldn't be making those decisions? Absolutely not. Scotland is always better off governing itself, because nobody understands the needs of our own country better than ourselves. We'll continue to make mistakes, just like every other self-governing country on the planet does, but we'll get it right a hell of a lot more often than we get it wrong.
Every time this comes up I think of the beginning of the novel "My Friend Flicka". Ken lived on a horse farm and desperately wanted a horse of his own. But he was doing poorly at school because of his dreamy, inattentive nature. His parents told him that he couldn't have a horse until he showed he could do his school work.
ReplyDeleteKen failed miserably, not getting through his assignments and failing exams. Somehow, something happened, and the decision was taken to give him the horse anyway. (That was Flicka.) Having responsibility for looking after and training Flicka matured Ken and improved his concentration beyond recognition. He grew up, he found he could organise his time, and because he wasn't spending every waking moment daydreaming about something he wanted but didn't have, he became productive.
He ended the next school year with exemplary marks, completing all his assignments, passing his exams, and getting a special award for English for an essay about Flicka.
If his father had withheld the horse waiting for Ken's school work to improve, it would never have happened.
Not especially linked to the article James but what do you think of some of the recent posts on Robin McAlpine's blog? For example, "If we don't lead we lose".
ReplyDeleteTo me he sums up succinctly what is going wrong - namely an SNP that has absolutely no idea how to get what it supposedly wants: and they may just not be up to it.
We are in a very frustrating position of wanting independence and needing to get behind a single vehicle for it but realising that the wheels have fallen off that vehicle.
Fk birth certificates - if someone is willing to cut off their tallywhacker, or fashion one, they can call themselves Mr or Mz till the cows come home, it's a lovely fkn war !
ReplyDeleteThe numpties on WGD like the mad British/Irish liar Skier are no better than Labour voters, they vote for a Britnat party of devolution. Sturgeon says the BBC are a valued institution. REAL independence supporters vote Alba. Vote. Alba Declare UDI
ReplyDeleteIs that you again Dr Jimbo or is it silly Hamish. Or perhaps it is Lomax who struggles to compose any original sentences.
DeleteA well reasoned article.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am not sure Labour will actually implement self ID.
Westminster has done a lot of bad things to Scots over the centuries but the Cringe is right up there with the worse of them. People need to decolonise their minds and they need help in doing so. The worse thing John REDACTOR MAN Swinney did was not his role in the persecution of Salmond but his lack of effort to get broadcasting devolved during the Smith Commsion.
Of course Sturgeon would have been removed from power some time ago if it was not for the abnormal situation of people voting SNP for independence. If Scotland ever does get enough of its people to reduce their levels of Cringe and vote for independence then Sturgeon will not be around for long after that. Sturgeon fears independence because she will become irrelevant. Sturgeon probably prays every night for the UK Supreme Court to say NO.
Sturgeon moaning on the TV that Truss has not phoned her. Does Sturgeon want to say gonna gonna gies us a section 30 - please please. Is this more Scottish Cringe? It might be if it was true but the last thing Sturgeon actually wants is a sec 30. So is Sturgeon going to formally write to another UK PM requesting a sec 30 and will Blowhard Blackford promise us again that Truss will not be able to resist Scottish democracy?
ReplyDeleteFunny how the big dug and all his little WGD doggers have conveniently forgotten that they all bought in to the nonsense that these UK PMs would respect Scottish democracy and eventually cave in and grant a sec 30. Truss even lied on TV recently by saying that Better Together/Cameron said at the time it would only be a Once In Generation. The once in a generation lie seems to be a very flexible lie.
The YouGov numbers are finally up on their site. The blurb stresses the improved numbers for Labour and the fall of the Conservatives, without mentioning seat projections. Nothing much on the detailed breakdown other than 29% of Labour supporters voted Yes in 2014.
ReplyDeleteNot one TV broadcaster showing the SNP conference. Not even the BBC Scotland channel. Sturgeon may think the BBC is a key and valued institution but clearly the BBC do not think the same about Sturgeon and her party. WGD numpty Hamish100 calls the BBC and STV a joke.
ReplyDeleteHamish correctly states that censorship of a political party is an affront to democracy. However, what will Sturgeon do about it - SFA that's what. If your political leaders act as if Scotland is a colony then that's how Westminster will treat Scotland.
What is a joke is that all the numpties turn a blind eye to Sturgeon bigging up the BBC. They are nicophants after all. These numpties are being taken for a ride by Sturgeon and the big dug and are the biggest joke in Scotland.
All Robertson had to say in his interview with France24 is that a referendum will take place next October or failing that we will use the next UK GE as a de facto referendum.
ReplyDeleteNope he says a referendum will happen sooner or later. My money is on NEVER under the Sturgeon/ Robertson watch. He then prattles on about young people in Scotland having a high percentage for yes and therefore the longer before a referendum happens the stronger the case for independence. This is the mad liar Irish Skier ski slope argument. The do nothing and it will just happen. Or in reality just do nothing. Meanwhile more no voters migrate to Scotland and our young emigrate to democratic countries.
Angus Robertson when prattling on again about getting a sec 30 on Sky's Sophy Ridge today says: "Either we live in a democracy or we don't."
ReplyDeleteI've got news for you Angus Scotland has NEVER had democracy.