STURGEON IS QUITTING

This morning's BBC Breakfast is not yet available on iPlayer, though a message says it will be available soon.

No idea how long it takes for an editor to go through 3 hours of live programme looking for oopsies and embarrassing or actionable moments.

Thanks, Chersfrozenface!

Thing is though, the prison service and the police service have either gone against the tenet of the GRR, or spoken outright against it. Those are quite important public services you'd need arguing your corner if you were gonna defend it and challenge the UK government.

I mean, Scot Gov is welcome to do that. We'll have to do a lottery for ringside tickets 🍿

Per the BBC News site
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-scotland-64648879

"Whoever takes over from Nicola Sturgeon will have a "huge in-tray of problems" and the SNP needs a "refresh", says the editor of Holyrood magazine.

Mandy Rhodes says the gender recognition reform bill and the de facto referendum - whereby the result of the next general election would be seen as a referendum on independence - are closely associated with Sturgeon.

She tells BBC Breakfast that a new SNP leader will have some "very immediate problems to deal with" including legal action against the government in Westminster over gender recognition reform. "I suspect [the legal action] will be quietly dropped," adds Rhodes."

Will tray to check out Breakfast on iPlayer now.

MN doesn't like links to webpages bypassing paywalls so I've looked at The Telegraph website and "used a ladder" to peek over said wall 😜

This is the relevant passage in their article:

She insisted that her departure was not down to “short-term pressures”, a reference to her gender reforms and the scandal over trans double rapist Isla Bryson being initially placed in a female jail. Instead, she said it was because she had run out of energy.

But one party source made it clear that the fallout over Ms Sturgeon’s transgender policies had been key to her demise.

The source said: “We need to get back on track by pursuing things that matter to the people of Scotland, not pushing stuff that the public is vehemently opposed to.

“I expect the gender reforms to be parked somewhere as quickly as possible. Any sensible new leader will want to get that off the front pages, and quickly.”
^^
Privately, senior figures within the SNP are highly critical of Ms Sturgeon’s failure to groom an obvious successor. They fear an unpopular new SNP leader would cause support for both the party and independence to collapse.

She's not tweeted since 14 Feb. She's got way more class than us 😜

Hopefully this is a first nail in the political coffin of the idea that the job of politicians is not to represent but to force the electorate to do what their betters think Is Best For Them. And a realisation that it can only be pushed so far before the electorate show signs of throwing you right out of power.

And that's a bloody salutory lesson for the entire political left.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11757669/The-end-Nicola-Sturgeons-dream-Scotland-SNP-plans-quietly-drop-legacy.html

This is the pertinent part, I think.

"The SNP's National Executive Committee is due to meet this evening to hammer out the terms of a leadership campaign expected to last two or three months.

The First Minister had vowed to defend the gender legislation after Westminster enacted never-before-used powers to block her bid to make it easier to change gender in Scotland.

Holyrood has until mid-April to challenge London's decision but the race to replace Ms Strugeon [sic] is likely to run until at least that deadline - plunging hopes of resurrecting the policy into serious doubt, even if it is not officially ditched.

An SNP source told the Telegraph: 'We need to get back on track by pursuing things that matter to the people of Scotland, not pushing stuff that the public is vehemently opposed to.

'I expect the gender reforms to be parked somewhere as quickly as possible. Any sensible new leader will want to get that off the front pages, and quickly.'
Standing down now means she will avoid running a legal challenge she was likely to lose, or not launching an objection at all, both of which would have severely weakened her position.'"

The typo suggests this story was typed up in a hurry.

The Telegraph is mentioned - it's behind a paywall though so I can't see if there's a story there.

Ooh! Got a link?

If true I may take a trip down to Cardiff Bay and shout "DRAKEFORD, ARE YOU FUCKING WATCHING, ARE YOU FUCKING LISTENING?!"

If true that’s a win for women’s rights

Quite something when women really can impact outcomes

Wow that would be some turn around. We can but hope!

The Fail are reporting that the SNP intend to drop the S35 challenge (and the GRR bill). So that’s something positive (if true).

'Schedule 7 of the Scotland Act 1998 provides that a section 35 order will immediately become and remain law unless it is rejected by either House of Parliament within 40 sitting days. The UK Government can also make time to debate a section 35 order in Parliament.
What would happen if a section 35 order is made?

A section 35 order cannot be overturned by the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government could amend and reconsidered the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, or it could challenge the UK Government’s section 35 order via judicial review.

Such a challenge could argue that the Secretary of State for Scotland lacked “reasonable grounds” for believing the Bill would have an adverse impact on how the law operates with respect to reserved matters. A court would either find that the order was made lawfully or unlawfully. If the latter, then it would cease to have any legal force or effect and the Presiding Officer would be able to present the Bill for Royal Assent.'

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/section-35-of-the-scotland-act-and-vetoing-devolved-legislation/

There's been no further movement on the challenging of Section 35, has there? There are time limits on that, I thought.

I don't know that they will back out of the GRR Bill.

They may still hope that the enacting of Section 35 will be enough to regroup Scottish public opinion behind it.

They may decide to reopen the debate on the Bill in order to allow through amendments on the clauses which are most unpopular with the public and giving rise to the most unwanted attention in the media. Though how they could do that constitutionally when it's already been passed in the Scottish Parliament, I don't know.

They may just hope the furore dies down as the attention of the public and the media shifts to other things and the GRR Act just stays on the statute book.

Equally, I don't know how realistic any of those strategies would be.

I think it's a mix of the GRR Bill and the police fraud investigation.

I think they'll have been pressure from within SNP for her to go. They need to back out of GRR and she can't do a 180 degree turn.

Opposition to GRR probably played a part but, given the manner of her resignation, I think that something else is bubbling up and we’ve just not become aware of it yet.

The allegations over how the SNP spent funds raised for Indy, or the question marks over her husband’s finances seem most likely. Are we about to (or does she think we’re about to) see more details come out about any of that?

None of her potential replacements look like they’re any less enamoured of the gender woo, so it’s only a short term win IMO.

Even now, despite everything, while reporting how the GRR played a role in her resignation, media organisations are STILL referring to Adam Graham as Isla Bryson and “she”. What’s wrong with them?!

Much as the rapists charter did little to add credibility to the GRR stuff, I suspect this is mostly down to financial irregularities and the police investigation.
I've no doubt she's fed up. I've no doubt there's only so long anyone, male or female, can handle the pressure of facing the music they themselves have written. I've no doubt that this Did Not Go To Plan.

I'm hopeful the next FM will represent ALL of Scotland fairly, but I don't think that's how politics works nowadays.

I just hope whoever it is tells the green lunatics to eff off. They've parasited into gov and, like a swollen, bloated tick, they need burned off.

Which is exactly what they said when Trump ran against Clinton.

Ahhhh crap, I was going with your username next, mine will shortly be outdated.

Nvm I'll see something else here soon.

LexMitior · Yesterday 20:29

You just know that given the choice between Joanna Cherry and Katie Forbes that the SNP are going to do a total 360 and go for the woman with the demeanour of bar soap.

Joanna Cherry is a Westminster MP for Edinburgh South West, so I'm not sure she could take over in Holyrood!

You rang Sir?

Share token version of @IwantToRetire ’s link: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2795984e-ad79-11ed-9cb3-80326348937b?shareToken=4d49094c29c05c780892b783480a38ca