In quite the turnaround Scottish Labour say the support Sandie Peggie, and would not support the GRR bill "knowing what they know now"!

Thousands of women told them this would happen they must have heard it, they just didn't care because meh women!
They haven't just discovered the potential consequences of the bill, they knew what it was all along, but it wouldn't impact them and their peers. They just believed it made them morally superior and progressive.
they have just noticed how angry it's made their voters.
This about turn is purely self preservation.

I don't know if it matters if it's genuine or not.

If Scottish Labour are only moving this way because of the SNP, that can only help our cause. If Labour overall are only moving this way because of Trump, that can only help our cause. Ditto Reform.

I'll be bloody delighted if Labour really genuinely see sense here.

I'm a blubbering Anas fangirl right now and you ultras can hop it 😘

Yes, yes they ignored us and put their fingers in their ears but they were under huge pressure to do so from the tantrum crowd, and possibly believed the electorate were leaning lanyard wise.

What they 'now know' is how popular Trumps executive order was, and how insane that gobshite prick in the brown coat looks to the Scottish public.

I'm choosing to believe that they knew all along what a woman was, because of course they did. Now that it's finally OK for them to say so AND make Swinney look like a national embarrassment I am GRATEFUL and not just because I always slightly fancied Sarwar.

Props too to the wonderful Calum MacDonald interviewing, he looks about 12 but he has the makings of a real journalist.

So, so… they were completely unable to hear the women explaining the problem and asking for common sense until male women like the rapist Isla Bryson and Dr Upton spoke up and did a real world demonstration of the issues?

Before that was just the shrill sound of bigots fretting about bigoted things, so hard to hear those squeaky female voices.

Thank goodness for male women helping us out.

On a more serious note, is this a real genuine u turn where they intend to protect women’s rights and language from the male women? Is there someone we can check with? Any on side MPs in the system that would check for us?

My thoughts exactly. It's as if they think we're not intelligent enough to remember their previous words & actions!

The one Labour MSP with real integrity was Johann Lamont.

I wrote to her when she tried to defend women's rights when she was in Holyrood and got a lovely reply from her.

Yes. Yes, they have.

Take it and run with it!

I believe in golden bridges but mine has a toll barrier. It's perfectly possible to get through it but I'd expect anyone wanting to cross over to show some insight into why they ignored all the warnings and what lessons they're taking from it. The word, 'sorry' gets you quite a long way too.

Also I'm not in Scotland so I'd leave the final call to Scottish women.

To be fair there were several Labour MSPs who worked hard and spoke up at great personal risk in defense of women's rights.

Johann Lamont is one, there were others. (Particularly on the 'six words' forensic examiner bill). And there have been more since.

I know there has been some disgraceful bullshit, especially looking at you, Anas Sarwar and I can fully understand and share the rage, but! Carpe diem! Strike while the iron is hot!

Write to your MSPs today and press home the points:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5277338-scottish-women-write-to-your-msps

That's exactly my first thought on reading this.

I'm not sure whether I am glad or even more bloddy annoyed at the duplicity and the hypocrisy. But I guess you have to take the positives when they come, as they come. Still enraged with this shower though! 😡

Have they really thought this through though?

They have said

1). they will protect single sex spaces on the basis of biological sex
2). the equality act is very clear.

But sex in the equality act isn't clear, which is why we are awaiting judgement on the For Women Scotland case.

Are they confirming that they would support any necessary changes to legislation that would protect provision of services and protections on the basis of biological sex?

Well, that's another thing, isn't it? Has someone in the Scottish Labour Party suddenly thought "Ooh, here's a stick we can beat the SNP with"?

It might be. Or it might be the palpable public rage at the supercilious, sneering man. This is all about votes, after all, and stupid as these people are, even they can perhaps dimly understand that the public is absolutely bloody furious about this.

Bastards. I'm not gonna thank a bunch of spineless c u next Tuesdays for finally, at the bloody last minute, admitting they were talking utter shite.

I want their heads on stakes (photos of the guilty, not their real heads, I'm no an animal, unlike them) all along North Bridge and down the Royal Mile.

Absolutely, Isla pushed it so far. But many don't really care about prisoners because it's not them, most of us have never been in prison or know a prisoner.

But everyone knows a nurse or two. Even if you don't know them personally you've come into contact with them.

Easy to picture your nurse friends being made uncomfortable.

This is good news.
Politicians make mistakes and get things wrong and the public should allow them to U-turn as more evidence comes to light or a policy isn't working. The fact the public is so unforgiving is the reason we get stuck with policy that isn't working and the reason we are stuck with shit like Brexit.
Politicians, just like everyone else, need a ladder to climb down sometimes.
I say again, this is good news.

I think whether or not someone wants to open up a “golden bridge” to anyone or any party is entirely up to them. Personal experiences and direct personal impact will vary.

Goodness gracious great balls of fire 🔥

(Sorry fire, pants, balls)

I wonder if it's that supercilious, sneering man telling a nurse I'm a biological woman and there's nothing you can do about me being in here.

It's another Isla Bryson moment. Just another man taking advantage of women's spaces.

Fuck me, what were the chances?

Exactly. Knowing now that there'll be more votes on the other side.

‘Knowing then what we know now’ = ‘Now the tide is changing and it suits us more to be on this side’

The Scottish Labour Party seem to have taken a lot about the GRR “at face value” rather than listening to the clearly expressed and very valid concerns being raised by women’s groups.

I’m glad they’ve u-turned so comprehensively, but they have totally be-clowned themselves in the process.

I expect it’s cos women were saying it. Somehow our voices seem unable to penetrate the tone deafness of the right side of history 🤔🤔