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Original poster

Scotland hate crime bill

58 replies

BovaryX · 22/08/2020 15:10

There is an another article in the Spectator which discusses Scotland's hate crime legislation and its chilling impact upon freedom of speech. It says that the Justice secretary is in thrall to coercive progressivism and the potential implications of this bill are extremely alarming.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/scotland-s-hate-crime-bill-would-have-a-chilling-effect-on-free-speech

OP posts:
Original poster
BovaryX · 22/08/2020 19:27

the moral high ground to hell

This should be the epitaph for the Robespierre faction.

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motorcyclenumptiness · 22/08/2020 19:23

It's unconstitutional, SP can't pass legislation that's incompatible with the HRA

queenofknives · 22/08/2020 19:16

It is very frightening and I hope the bill is defeated and very publicly and definitively so. People skimming the surface will obviously feel, well of course we want to stop hate crime - but only a tiny bit of looking deeper reveals the horribly authoritarian implications. I will leave Scotland if this bill passes. I value my freedom and I'm not prepared to lose it.

Original poster
BovaryX · 22/08/2020 19:05

Arabella Imnobody

It will be very interesting to see if this bill is passed in its current form. If it is, its application will make explicit the existential threat to freedom of speech.

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ArabellaScott · 22/08/2020 18:49

'we need to build across Scotland to defeat hate'

What do the SNP think they are, Marvel superheroes?

I very much hope he does listen to the criticism. I can't honestly see, given the list of people and organisations that have expressed such serious concerns, how this can be pushed through as is.

Imnobody4 · 22/08/2020 17:28

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/humza-yousaf-vows-reflect-controversial-22553676
Here he's saying he'll reflect on criticisms.
Today, Labour MSP Anas Sarwar, who has campaigned with Yousaf against hate crimes, added further pressure on the government to make changes.

"This risks fracturing the coalition we need to build across Scotland to defeat hate," Sarwar warned.

I hope he just has the grace to admit he's wrong and rewrites the whole thing from scratch. I'd be hard pushed to think of another bill which is such an illiberal dog's breakfast.
However I think he's just received bomb threats so there's every chance he'll dig his heels in, while continuing on the moral high ground to hell.

ArabellaScott · 22/08/2020 16:48
  • meant to say, thanks for sharing, Bovary!
ArabellaScott · 22/08/2020 16:48

I got a reply from my MSP on this last week. Totally refused to concede that there were any issues with the bill whatsoever. I'm even more worried - so bloody deaf to constituents concerns, so arrogant and so dismissive of any views that don't align with theirs.

I'm more and more concerned about Scottish politics. All seems very murky - not sure how much of it is just naivety/ill thought through, and how much is done precisely to give the govt more and more control. It doesn't seem healthy, at all.