What women in Scotland want - The Scotsman newspaper

[Gertrudesgarden]

Husband gets this at the weekend and there's this rather nicely put opinion piece (linked, I hope, below) by a writer called Susan Dalgety.

I'm indescribably pleased to see something in a national paper, especially as wee Nicola seems intent on trashing the whole social structure of sex based rights.

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/what-women-in-scotland-want-is-simple-susan-dalgety-1-5076674

Yeah nice piece from Susan.

I liked the below especially

And, it seems to me, not enough respect for the reality of women’s lives as we live them, and not as someone imagines they should be lived.

That's a good read.

Thanks for sharing the article. It's a very well written piece. She puts across very well, what a whole load of us are thinking and feeling.

Sadly, she seems to think the sun shines out of Jess Phillips behind, but we can't agree on everything! Some women are just braver than others.

First time poster here, although long time GC lurker.

I read the article at the weekend too, and agree. It’s nicely put. However the problem doesn’t just lie at the door of Nicola Sturgeon, as much as the OP seems to want it to.
I see no discussion, or objection to the principle of Self-ID coming from any of the opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament at the moment. Almost no one is willing to put their head above the parapet. They are quite happy to allow the snp to fight amongst themselves over this issue. And the greens are fully on board, much to my chagrin.
Rumour has it sturgeon will step down in the next few months. I suspect the Salmond court case will be messy and there could be fallout for her. How the GRA proceeds will, I think, depend very much who takes over as snp leader.

Actually, the OP doesn't want it all to lie at the door of Nicola Sturgeon, despite what the PP seems to want to believe.

The OP is perfectly aware that most parties in Scotland are cowardly hiding from the issue, and the OP is also aware that the same applies to the rest of the UK too. However, the OP realises that the SNP are in charge in Scotland, so the OP knows, like it or not, that the SNP are the ones putting the GRA amendments into law and making the rules at the moment and the OP therefore knows that the SNP are who need to be held accountable.

The OP was a lifelong Green supporter. The OP is very very sad that the OP can no longer support the Green party. The OP is sad that the OP had to spoil their last ballot paper. The OP could not in all conscience vote as the OP would have liked to, a circumstance brought about entirely by the Green party seeming to understand ecology but not biology.

The OP is now politically homeless and disillusioned. Is the PP politically homeless and disillusioned too?

Good piece. Thank God, its been a long time coming.

@Gertrudesgarden yes, I too feel politically homeless, however I do feel there is some hope. The SNP’s Joan mcalpine and Joanna cherry in particular, have been quite staunch in their defence of women’s rights.

It was your reference to “wee nicola” that perhaps sounded slightly dismissive and belittling. I don’t think that we should be doing that to other women, even when we don’t agree with them.

Yes,the snp are in charge, but only with the support of the greens. So if and when legislation is presented to the parliament the snp/green coalition are going to need to sell it to all their msps.

That’s not a done deal by a long stretch. There was a good bit of questioning from an snp msp (I want to say Kenneth Gibson, but I could be wrong) with regards TW in the prison estate.

The Tories, labour and lib dems will probably pick this legislation to shreds, some because they don’t agree with it, others because it’s politically expedient. I strongly believe that when the GRA gets to this stage it will fall apart, in a similar vein to the named persons law. We just need to keep the pressure up on our elected representatives, of all hues.

I hope against hope that you're right, and that this juggernaught can be stopped. I think Nicola Sturgeon's dismissal of women's concerns is belittling, myself, and her being female doesn't give her a free pass. Im so very tired of being told to be nice, be supportive, be kind, etc etc. No.

Very happy to give credit to McAlpine and Cherry - courageous and honourable, both.

PS being called a c you next Tuesday by mhairi black was a highlight though, wasn't it? Not dismissive or belittling at all.

I absolutely agree re Mhairi Black. I think she lacks wisdom and all political nous.