SNP lists - attacks on Joan McAlpine

[SusanSmithFWS]

Today, the SNP NEC met to, supposedly, discuss an emergency definition of transphobia. This was not forthcoming.

What did happen, however, was this. Despite being told this was illegal, the chair put it to the vote and it passed with the support of unelected members with a declared conflict of interest.

We are very worried that this has been done to knock Joan McAlpine off the top list spot for Southern Scotland.

Irrespective of this, we are horrified that a political party would break the law like this.
wingsoverscotland.com/the-death-wish/

[quote OllyBJolly]@MissBarbary She is being attacked for standing up for women -knowing this is putting her political career in jeopardy. Hardly "one side of a political ideology".[/quote]
She's still SNP; being "gender critical" isn't the be all and end all. It's of no concern to me that it's the end of her political career.

She's still SNP; being "gender critical" isn't the be all and end all. It's of no concern to me that it's the end of her political career.

Why are you here then? Perhaps you could leave the thread to those of us who do want to share and discuss our concern that another woman is being manoeuvred out of her job because she won’t chant TWAW?

@Whatdoyoudowhendemocracyfails

She's still SNP; being "gender critical" isn't the be all and end all. It's of no concern to me that it's the end of her political career.

Why are you here then? Perhaps you could leave the thread to those of us who do want to share and discuss our concern that another woman is being manoeuvred out of her job because she won’t chant TWAW?

Do you only want people who agree with you?

Anyway - in the spirit of the Bunbury guidelines....

@Sarahandduck18, yes, I suspect there will be legal challenges, but there will be a huge push against that from the #WheestforIndy brigade.

And those in favour of the move will launch a smear campaign - after all, who could possibly be against improving BAME and disabled representation?

Do you only want people who agree with you?

You don't care. Got it. Understand that point of view. You don't need to keep repeating it.

This is mindboggling in that it was done in the full face of knowing it was illegal. The second time too that the rules have been swiftly changes to prevent a candidate standing: they're obviously afraid of democracy and don't want the voters allowed a say.

This is the SNP imploding in real time.

It's a tough thing to separate. In theory she should tell them to fuck off and join a party that better suits. However the independence campaign overrides all and dissent from the party line is punished.

I hate the SNP and hate the way that they are treating women.

For me I'd be happy to support her in telling them to fuck off entirely but I cannot with a clear conscience support the odious corrupt SNP in any guise.

who could possibly be against improving BAME and disabled representation?

Yes Mhairi Hunter was shouting that a lot on Twitter last night, as if so long as it's got a nice disguise of being in a good cause it's fine! And if you moan about all the many, many issues you hate BAME and disabled people you big meanies! The means absolutely justifies the end (and don't look at the dodgy bits! Only bad people look at the dodgy bits!)

Honestly, this kind of tactic is so old hat now it's baffling they're still trying it.

It says a lot to me that they are clearly terrified of the voters being allowed to vote for her.

In theory she should tell them to fuck off and join a party that better suits

But why should she? She's been an SNP supporter and feminist since her teens.

@MichelleofzeResistance

It says a lot to me that they are clearly terrified of the voters being allowed to vote for her.

They actually changed two longstanding rules in their determination to purge the party of women's rights campaigners.

All SNP members vote for who should be on the list for the regional vote. Most votes received = top spot.

That's rule two, which was changed yesterday when despite legal advice telling them this was unlikely to survive a legal challenge, the NEC created a new shortlist for first place on the list - BAME in four regions, disability in four others - which of course disregards members' votes.

Rule one was that the top spot on the regional list always goes to the sitting MSP. That was changed when the NEC gave itself sweeping new powers over the summer.

Because the party no longer represents what she believes in?

So either she needs to get a bigger influence and change it, thole it or leave it imo.

There is no doubt she is being treated unfairly and can take that to court, would you want to stay with a party that forced you into that?

@Sarahandduck18

I imagine this is going to be legally challenged.

It’s such a back hand way of pushing someone out.

But this is what all political parties are like.

Yes, they’re all pretty unedifying in their corruption, inner wrangling and willingness to break the law when it suits them. It’s really depressing.

I like this thread for discussing the concerted attempts to get women out and don’t want a big discussion on the independence thing here either.

It’s all very murky. I was startled to see that Rhiannon Spears is apparently a law student, whilst advocating ignoring the law. I don’t know where they find these people, they seem really quite odd.

They actually changed two longstanding rules in their determination to purge the party of women's rights campaigners.

Yes. The desperation not to let voters have the option of voting in someone who will defend women's rights says a great deal to me. In particularly that they clearly believe there's a high risk of voters wanting this and voting for it if they can. Not fans of democracy this lot.

It goes to show how much people allow themselves to do bad things if they believe themselves to be righteous.

It seems to go like this "I want to do this highly questionable/possibly illegal thing but I am not a bad person. Because I am a good person, the thing I think needs doing must in fact be a good thing. Anyone who questions me doing this thing must therefore be a bad person."

@WaxOnFeckOff

It's a tough thing to separate. In theory she should tell them to fuck off and join a party that better suits. However the independence campaign overrides all and dissent from the party line is punished.

I hate the SNP and hate the way that they are treating women.

For me I'd be happy to support her in telling them to fuck off entirely but I cannot with a clear conscience support the odious corrupt SNP in any guise.

Same here. If she were to do that she would have my support.

From her wiki entry:

In January 2012, McAlpine stated that individuals who criticised the policies of the SNP were 'anti-Scottish', provoking widespread condemnation from other political parties.[15] In March 2012, McAlpine compared Scotlands' position in the UK with a woman in an abusive marriage with a domineering man and stated that rival political parties were behaving in a sexist and misogynistic manner.[15]

Just want to point out that if we didn't have devolution, Scotland's NHS would have been privatised alongside NHS England. Whatever you think of independence, that is hugely important. The health authority in Scotland that at first simply refused to comply with Thatcher's new rules were forced to comply eventually, but after devolution in 1999 they reversed the process and brought services back in-house. That was Labour of course, but every Scottish Government since has stuck to that policy.

(And yes, most people are wholly unaware of just how far that privatisation has already progressed since Thatcher started it in the 80s, because care remains free of charge at the point of use and the name remains the same. NHS privatisation is no less destructive and costly just because it hasn't been turned into an American style healthcare system.)

I don't want to digress further from the OP, but you do realise it was the SNP that got thatcher's bum on the seat?

@WaxOnFeckOff

From her wiki entry:

In January 2012, McAlpine stated that individuals who criticised the policies of the SNP were 'anti-Scottish', provoking widespread condemnation from other political parties.[15] In March 2012, McAlpine compared Scotlands' position in the UK with a woman in an abusive marriage with a domineering man and stated that rival political parties were behaving in a sexist and misogynistic manner.[15]

That makes her as bad as the rest of them then. Really hope they don't do as well as expected in May Elections. I always vote and always vote anti-SNP for whichever mainstream UK party is best placed to beat them.

Errrr the SNP massively use PFI contracts in the NHS (and in general, they just don't call them PFI). Plus the tories in England have increased NHS spending over the past decade by a greater percentage than the SNP has of NHS Scotland.

What is happening on my view is the SNP chickens are coming home to roost. They created a culture where mare up nonsense was given credence at the highest level, and anyone not in the camp was treated dreadfully. I appreciate those in the independence movement had a lovely civic and joyous time, but for the rest of us it has been ghastly and divisive.

So this is where they've ended up. It is awful to watch but possibly inevitable.

@WaxOnFeckOff

I don't want to digress further from the OP, but you do realise it was the SNP that got thatcher's bum on the seat?

It was 34 Labour MPs who supported the amendment that sabotaged the home rule referendum. Callaghan was always very clear as to who he blamed for toppling his government. But Labour love to trot out this nonsense claim to this day. As you can read in Inside, Outside: The Biography of Tam Dalyell this amendment was instigated by Robin Cook, which is why Gordon Brown noticeably despised him even after devolution finally happened in 1999.

That betrayal by Labour cost the party so many votes across the entire UK, the Tories won with a landslide.

So you could say a Scottish Labour MP ushered in Thatcher if you like, but the SNP didn't.

Yeah tootsweet.

Look at Edinburgh children’s hospital. ERI

Cal Mac ferries

The new bridge which keeps getting closed due to ice dropping off it

@MoltenLasagne yes, cognitive dissonance

I have read about it thanks.

Just want to point out that if we didn't have devolution, Scotland's NHS would have been privatised alongside NHS England

Just want to point out that the NHS in England has not been privatised just because some services might be provided by private companies. And apparently what you have said about there being no privatisation in Scotland is incorrect anyway.

Given McAlpine's wiki entry she clearly would not support from me anyway.