Mermaids vs LGB Alliance and Charity Commissioner - First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) Thread 3

[nauticant]

The Tribunal started on 9 September, witness testimony started on 12 September.

To obtain access to view the proceedings, send a request email to [email protected] about case CA/2021/0013 - Mermaids vs Charity Commissioner and LGB Alliance and ask for permission to join. You then have to provide certain information and agree to a judge's direction in order to be able to join.

There is also live tweeting from twitter.com/tribunaltweets.

Abbreviations:

J or judge: Presiding Judge, Judge Lynn Griffin
AJ or Judge: Assisted by Judge Joe Neville
MG: Mermaids counsel is Michael Gibbon KC
KM: LGB Alliance counsel is Karon Monaghan KC
AR: Karon is assisted by Akua Reindorf
IS: Charity Commission counsel is Iain Steele

(Also the witnesses, PR: Paul Roberts, JN: John Nicolson. BB: Belinda Bell, BJ: Beverley Jackson, KH: Kate Harris, and EG: Eileen Gallagher.)

Thread 1: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4629679-mermaids-versus-lgb-alliance-in-court-today
Thread 2: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4632780-mermaids-vs-lgb-alliance-and-charity-commissioner-first-tier-tribunal-general-regulatory-chameber-thread-2
Thread 3: ongoing

Witnesses for the applicant (Mermaids):

Paul Roberts - CEO of LGBT Consortium (12 September)
John Nicolson MP - Deputy Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights (13 September)
Dr Belinda Bell - Chair of trustees of Mermaids (13 September)

Witnesses for the respondent (LGB Alliance):

Beverley Jackson - Co-founder and trustee of LGB Alliance (13-14 September)
Kate Harris - Co-founder and trustee of LGB Alliance (14-15 September)
Eileen Gallagher OBE - Chair of trustees of LGB Alliance (15 September)

Witness Statements:

Paul Roberts: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Paul-Roberts-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
John Nicolson MP - lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/John-Nicolson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Dr Belinda Bell: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Belinda-Bell-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Beverley Jackson: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bev-Jackson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits-1.pdf
Kate Harris: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Kate-Harris-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Eileen Gallagher (two statements): lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Second-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf

Submissions:

lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Volume-4-Submissions-CA.2021.0013.pdf

(Header format follows the gold standard established by @ickky)

post updated by MNHQ at OP's request

What did it say, ikky?

@ickky I thought they were putting a stop to that sort of thing

So many angry GCs!

Someone else has asked the clerk to not allow people to antagonize other observers.

I guess someone who feels compelled to share their pronouns in the chat (Andie she/her) is maybe keen to hear what the mermaids counsel has to say

Me too, Wallace.

I wondered if it had anything to do with the shit the TRAs did with their screen names during Allison's tribunal, or the judge was just stricter than Judge Goodman, per se.

And now people asking for chat to be treated with respect. Sam Cowie referring to Andie with the pronouns to which Andie replies we all have pronouns. Yes we do but only some of us use them to control other people

33mins & counting!

I’ve been disconnected now! This is very frustrating

Me too, dworky...it's a shambles. 🙄

I know it's been boring so far, but it's nice to have the option to hear it in the first place!

Still not in, shall I cancel and try again do you think? Or best just to sit tight.

Oh Andie using mr nuur's first name did you ask him Andie before assuming that was ok

Forty mins waiting for me now. Tempting to log out and try again?

A bit familiar and not really cricket, in a courtroom.

The proceedings are not being halted during this IT breakdown. That's a shame.

This is my point about open justice, nauticant...it's just pony.

Can you see if the Clerk is still letting people in?

Sit tight or you'll go to the back of the queue.

37 waiting to be let in

Every case I've watched has had tech problems or run out of time. Why don't they plan for this and allow extra time.

Someone in the chat has asked for the 37 waiting to be let in.

The clerk said it should have started at 9.30am but they were not ready.

It really is a shit show, they know roughly how many are joining as they have all our names.

Wouldn't it be good practice to get everyone in before start time?

It does feel like bad planning. They should ah e learnt from the first half of the proceedings that there would be a significant online audience and allowed time to add them prior to the start of proceedings

TT says it's continuing while they sort out tech issues.

People are being let in slowly.

Nothing is happening though. As in the case is ongoing but we can't see or hear it.

Snails are slow, @IdisagreeMrHochhauser they are fucking glacial!

I’m in but looking at a wall!

Oh back in hurrah!