Politicians respond to the SC judgement

They would have to bring it before Parliament and it would have to go through Parliamentary process. It could be a private member’s bill or part of the government programme, so theoretically they could.

The problem with this course of action is, I think, that the SC judgement laid out comprehensively why a gender certificate definition of sex made the Act and therefore inequalities legislation incoherent, and it is difficult to see how this incoherence could be addressed. The SC judgement gives multiple examples of why revised legislation to include certified sex would not work (here, I don’t mean this is explicitly what they say but in working through what it would mean for the provisions if having a GRC was included in the definition of sex, they show the issues). I have stepped away from this issue over the last couple of days but I am not aware that anyone has seriously refuted the reasoning of the judgement rather than just railed/wailed against it.

The only way would be to remove sex completely as a protected characteristic much as the way Scotgov decided not to have misogyny in the hate crime legislation. I think doing that would be too divisive and risk alienating a significant section of voters.

I really can’t see that they’d do that. It would be electoral suicide.

This Labour government may be appalling in just about every way, but the party’s not collectively so thick that they’d change equality legislation wholesale just to satisfy a few thousand trans protestors.

I think there will be a nasty internal battle but ultimately some of the top people in Labour are all too aware about the looming threat of Reform and that would be a gift. So I'm cautiously hopeful they won't. We'll see I guess.

Do you believe the Labour party will now change the EA 2010 - can they do that ? I am actually thinking they will roll over on this issue
and women’s rights will be bulldozed. I am thinking this more now after seeing the comments from politicians.

Remember the time Tory MPs said the Supreme Court was enemy of the people?

She won't resign...

I worry that the unions are the biggest threat to women's rights, at this time in the UK.

They have always been a bit 'after the revolution, love' but this is different they are actively working against women.

The Joan Smith article is a must read. Especially equating the backlash with domestic abuse - there’s overlap here with cults, and I wonder if the ideology is experienced as a cult for people trapped inside it, but experienced as abuse by those outside it. (After all, cults are usually desperate to hold themselves apart from society.) We see classic abusive behaviour evidenced in the court cases and tribunals and we know how families and employees have had to twist themselves into all kinds of appeasing shapes to keep the ideologues from attacking them.

That Unherd article is very good. Clear, accurate, to the point, appropriate in the language it uses to sound the alarm.

👏 Joan Smith

I’m concerned it hasn’t stopped there. Are they taking it further, and the unions pushing too.

Very good (and chilling) article.

I will be writing to my Tory MP asking him to help hold Labour's feet to the fire over this.

How on earth have these people been elected?

I remember an aunt telling me people have a long memory when it comes to their MPs. No one needs a long memory these days as when it's out there on the internet there's no forgetting it, no denying it.

I didn't realise that Sonia is leaving the Observer, does anyone know where she's going?

I notice that Steve Race and chums have said, "Didn't say that, Sonia." Without clarifying what they did say.

Great optics, three men and one woman plotting on WhatsApp to try to undermine a judgment protecting women’s rights.

Do we think that if Starmer had personal issues with the ruling this week, it’d negatively affect his forthcoming statement on it to the British public? Or will he be statesman-like, lawyer-like, professionally objective, and realise he Has To back track (‘U-Turn?) on his previous statements (which we all know he didn’t believe anyway)? Hmm.

because what the world needs is more drunken men 🙄

I love this! All together now….. he’s captain flip flop…. 🎵 🎶

Anyone feel like a singsong while we wait?

More importantly - any updates from him on the bank holiday traffic and potholes?

Yeah I think someone has already used this comparison on this thread but it was almost de ja vu of Sturgeon being question about double rapist TIM Isla Bryson being placed in a female jail.

more generally though I think the response of politicians and organisations has been excellent. We could never expect the Labour die hard TRAs and the Greens to give up the baton. We had to expect that. But John Swinnry would not say TWAW, Bridget Phillipson, Harman and the Labour Leader in Scotland all back peddling is a good indicator that this will be taken seriously.

Do we think Steve and Chris will tell us what they think was ‘appalling’ about it?