Who do you want to see as new First Minister?

[Rememberal]

And who do you think it'll be if they are different?

Not seen any threads on this yet!

My two cents -

I voted SNP when I was very young (Salmond) and under the impression they were a kinda catch-all working man's party who didn't do much to offend the left or right, but I stopped voting for them ages ago and recently started to actively despise them.

Normally I'm the polar opposite of the Reddit consensus and they seem to want Robertson but only, it seems, because they can't have Mhari Black (which is one MP I DO know and absolutely cannot stand). I feel like Forbes is the only one who'd bring them back to the centre and increase membership as she might attract everyone who left back.

So I suppose I'm a toss-up between Forbes who might pull them away from their more (imho) farcical policies and Black who might finally start to kill them dead in the water.

I do believe Sturgeon resigned because the recent polling data (where ALL age demographics agreed with the WM overturn including a large amount of SNP membership) showed that people vote SNP despite their progressive policies and not because of them. I reckon they knew it would really hurt them at the next election, and since she can't U-turn, the only thing left to do was step aside and let a new leader shift their direction.

I'm interested to know what people on here think though.

Apparently Fergus Ewing and Roseanna Cunningham voted against same sex marriage - saw this in a bbc article so will see if I can find a link

"It is also notable that it was never seen as a bar to her becoming finance secretary, or indeed for others to hold high office in SNP governments - like Roseanna Cunningham or Fergus Ewing, who both voted against equal marriage legislation."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64715944
Quote is from the very end of the linked article

It is very hypocritical IMO. When someone from a non-Christian religion is elected then it's celebrated as a sign of diversity, inclusion, tolerance, yada yada. But a Christian woman who espouses tolerance but has her own faith is unacceptable. Mind you, who can forget Ed Milliband and the case of the awkward bacon sandwich.

A good politician should be capable of separating their own personal beliefs from policy making and should be able to distinguish between matters of faith and conscience and matters of law.

If women need abortions after about 16 weeks they go to England as not provided in Scotland

Sorry to disagree but 2 women I know have had over 20 week abortions in different Scottish cities in recent years.

news.stv.tv/scotland/women-and-teens-forced-to-have-abortions-in-england-due-to-neglect-from-nhs-health-boards-in-scotland

Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks, but has become harder to access in Scotland as eight health boards do not carry out the procedure beyond 18 weeks, four have a limit of 20 weeks, while NHS Fife has a bar of 15 weeks and five days.

From BPAS report in 2022. Your friends were lucky they didn't live in Fife or the other 8 boards who only go to 18 weeks.

Yet another case of not managing the basics.

It's amazing what doesn't get the outrage it deserves - Katie Forbes being honest, huge pile in, actual on the ground abortion post code lottery - little interest.

The abortion situation is disgraceful

www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/bpas-comment-on-2021-scotland-abortion-statistics/

I couldn't get the link to work before but here's the link to the BPAS Report.

It just so happens ...

Humza is Muslim. He did not vote on the gay marriage bill - making what seems to be a highly unlikely excuse to be elsewhere on the day.

Funnily enough, nobody seems to care.

I had no idea!

Kate has revealed she knows what a woman is (or rather isn't) how very right wing of her...

Indeed. The person who actually had the opportunity to vote for same sex marriage didn't, but that's not the story. The story is a woman who has old fashioned religious views.

Interestingly the National is running a poll. Current results:
Hamza - 19%
Kate - 36%
Ash - 44%

At the moment it looks like nationalist scots do not prefer the SNP preferred candidate. So I'm sure they'll impose their choice anyway...

Yousaf is determine to challenge the section 35. Which just seems crazy, has he not seen and heard the damage this did to Sturgeon? No wonder he's attacking Forbes on religious belief

Misogyny at it's finest. I'm also very much atheist. It doesn't sound like KF is planning to lead by the rules of her church any more than HY intends to lead by the rules of islam.

I am sure they are both equally affected by their upbringing though.

Humza needs to be cornered in the media for his actual response to what a woman is. I know that he is going to keep going with the challenge but it seems to being labelled more that it's about the principle of Westminster interference now than actually about the subject itself - which is ridiculous.

I'm agnostic. I loathe the SNP and would never vote for independence, but I do admire Kate Forbes for at least sticking to her beliefs. Clearly in the SNP you are only allowed certain beliefs - like a man can become a woman

If they're going to grill Kate Forbes on her views on same sex marriage, gender, abortion, etc, they need to do the same to Humza Yousaf.

If they're going to grill Kate Forbes on her views on same sex marriage, gender, abortion, etc, they need to do the same to Humza Yousaf.

According to this he has very different views behind closed doors. Obviously it could be made up but going by the way he says "white" like it's shit in his mouth in that "Scotland is too white" speech you have to wonder...

I'm starting to feel quite bad for Kate Forbes. We complain ALL THE TIME that politicians run circles around questions, speak in riddles, give non-answers etc and she's actually being very honest 🤷🏻‍♀️. Warts and all. I have a great deal of respect for that, but going by comments online you'd think her entire career is over (not just her leadership bid). You'd think she was Hitler and not a Christian mother from the highlands with traditional values ffs.

That article on abortion specifically states that most late term abortions of Scottish residing women take place in Scotland.

I don't think you seem to know much about rural health services. Do you realise remote living women have to fly to hospital to give birth in large areas of Scotland?

It's our geography. Can't blame the politicians for us having lots of little islands or mountains!

It also clearly states that all these abortions are paid for by the Scottish NHS.

Only 21% of English abortions take place in NHS hospitals.

Are you disputing the statement by BPAS that women in Scotland are traveling to England to have abortions?

It's irrelevant whether NHS Scotland pays for it. Why should that be necessary to travel furth of Scotland at all?

Your point about geography, aside from being patronising, is irrelevant. If a woman is in a remote part of Scotland travelling to somewhere in Scotland is going to be easier than traveling to England.

Are you saying BPAS are wrong about 9 Scottish Health Boards setting the time limit below the legal cut off point?
No idea what point you're trying to make re only 21@@Rememberal

Phone playing up

Re only 21% of abortions in England taking place in NHS hospitals. What point are you trying to make?

Are you trying to suggest abortion is not paid for by the NHS in England? That's simply not true. What objection is there anyway in dealing with straightforward, early terminations in specialist clinics rather than an NHS hospital.

You can spin it all you like , the fact is 9 of Scotland's Health Boards do not provide abortion facilities after 20 weeks.

www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics-year-ending-december-2021/

If you click through to Table 6 of the data files it shows 150 women resident in Scotland travelled to England to have a termination in 2021. Geographical location doesn't explain why that should be necessary.

I don’t know why those women were sent to England. But I do live somewhere remote where we simply don’t have the facilities for ANYTHING complicated obstetrics-wise - or otherwise.

My health board is one of the “baddies” and I was very critical of it - but having recently had a very routine (at big hospitals) procedure carried out by someone who although extremely qualified as a medic - was not a specialist - it was a disaster. Third attempt and extremely painful.

Would I recommend a 15 year old have her reproductive system “tested” by non-specialist medics for a procedure which could be safely carried out at a teaching hospital ? No.

Oooft, this is quite an extraordinary intervention by the Indian and Muslim councils...wingsoverscotland.com/a-time-of-fear/