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Original poster

Lord Herbert: Royal Commission to remove trans debate from politics?

88 replies

tabbycatstripy · 10/04/2022 10:38

Nick Herbert, Johnson’s LGBT advisor, suggests a Royal Commission ‘led by a senior judge, [to] comprise members who are “truly neutral”, and be founded with “cross-party support and without predetermination of its direction or outcome”’ to make decisions on the trans debate.

In the Twitter discussion below this announcement, there are four or five male members of the HoL discussing whether this would work (some for, some against).

I am absolutely against this. These issues aren’t for ‘neutral’ anyone to decide in secret. As Lord Lucas says, they need full transparency and democratic engagement. They are the stuff of politics, not questions to be removed from the unwashed masses and dictated to us by Stonewall-trained judges.

Could he look more out of touch?

OP posts:
Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 10/04/2022 11:14

‘It's not subverting or avoiding democracy. The decisions remain with parliament.’

But the so-called ‘neutral body’ appointee gets to hold a private debate and then have a huge input into the decision-making, rather than (he suggests) having the debate in the open.

I reject this idea. This is too important. We have the right to hear and participate in the arguments in the usual way (a right that has been suppressed already by lobby groups, and which we are entitled to have back).

OP posts:
nauticant · 10/04/2022 11:12

How can a Royal Commission operate when the evidence base for decision-making, or in the case of an RC recommendations, is currently so under developed and conflicted?

IvyTwines · 10/04/2022 11:03

Really sinister. As other posters have said above, they managed to get this far by avoiding public scrutiny and accountability and relying on an online army of blue hairs to intimidate and doxx and fire and defund those mostly women and women's organisations who raised concerns about child safeguarding, women's rights and safety.

MajorCarolDanvers · 10/04/2022 11:02

A royal commission simply means appointing some 'experts' to take a consider, non political, view on a subject and then make recommendations. It's like a go paid for think tank.

Politicians then chose whether to accept, amend or reject these recommendations.

It's not subverting or avoiding democracy. The decisions remain with parliament.

I actually think it's a sensible approach to find a way to consider these subject matter in a non toxic way.

SigourneyHoward · 10/04/2022 11:02

Royal commissions are public inquiries aren't they? Yes led by senior figures such as judges but taking evidence from all parties

SpinningTheSeedsOfLove · 10/04/2022 10:51

Nick Herbert is pals with Crispin 'Backroom Deal' Blunt MP (Con).

In fact Herbert is one of the Vice-Chairs that are drawn from the Lords of the All Party Parliamentary Group ('APPG') on 'Global LBGT+' that is chaired by Crispin Blunt.

I rest my case.

nauticant · 10/04/2022 10:49

Reading between the lines of The Sunday Times article it looks like Nick Herbert realises that the trans activists and allies have screwed up through overreaching beyond what was significant power and influence and he's aiming for a reset to preserve the remaining power and influence before it erodes away even more. These early signs of panic are really good to see.

A good companion piece in The Sunday Times is the Sarah Ditum one:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4526097-the-logic-of-trans-activism-leads-to-surreal-debate-but-the-grown-ups-are-fighting-back-times-article

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 10/04/2022 10:47

It’s just undemocratic. We have bodies to make decisions about which laws we should make, and we have bodies to enforce the law. Let’s not mix them up.

OP posts:
Itwasntmeright · 10/04/2022 10:47

They’ve tried to do it all behind closed doors, it failed.

bellinisurge · 10/04/2022 10:46

Now that we've trained the judges to be handmaidens. Yeah, great idea.

Theeyeballsinthefuckingsky · 10/04/2022 10:43

Nice try Nick but hell no. It’s just trying to carry on the “let’s all agree this behind closed doors with stonewall” approach

Igneococcus · 10/04/2022 10:42

There is also an article in the Times about him but I can't get sharetokens to work at the moment

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/johnsons-lgbt-adviser-says-take-the-politics-out-of-transgender-debate-dbz52mvmm

DoubleYouOhEmAyEn · 10/04/2022 10:41

I don't see how you can remove it from politics when political parties are so captured. Stonewall made it political.

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