Mermaids vs LGB Alliance and Charity Commissioner - First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) Thread 4

[nauticant]

UPDATE: a transcript of the proceedings has been published and can be found here: lgballiance.org.uk/tribunal-transcript/

The Tribunal started on 9 September, witness testimony was heard from 12 to 15 September, and then, following a break, closing submissions are taking place on 7 and 8 November.

[This paragraph is probaby now redundant] 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 www.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: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4629679-mermaids-versus-lgb-alliance-in-court-today
Thread 2: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4632780-mermaids-vs-lgb-alliance-and-charity-commissioner-first-tier-tribunal-general-regulatory-chameber-thread-2
Thread 3: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4633653-mermaids-vs-lgb-alliance-and-charity-commissioner-first-tier-tribunal-general-regulatory-chamber-thread-3?page=31&reply=121335177
Thread 4: 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: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Paul-Roberts-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
John Nicolson MP - www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/John-Nicolson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Dr Belinda Bell: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Belinda-Bell-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Beverley Jackson: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bev-Jackson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits-1.pdf
Kate Harris: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Kate-Harris-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Eileen Gallagher (two statements): www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Second-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf

Submissions:

www.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 in order to include the most up to date information.

Does anyone know if this is a particularly unusual event, one charity challenging the Charity Commission over their decision to award charitable status to another charity?

IS is arguing against Mermaids applying purposive construction of the Articles.

It's the first of its' kind!

Bit of a dig at those who trawl Twitter for 'evidence'!

Not caught up on all of this generally, but is it generally viewed that the CC are on the side of LGBA?

It's the first of its' kind!

Which is why the CC are horrified at the possible implications of what it might mean for them and their role.

I like this guy. Logical and clear arguments and a nice lilt to his accent.

Their counsel is saying that they don't decide on the merits of the subjective views of the charities. Just whether on the face of it they are eligible for charitable registration.

I don't think so FeatherPend. They just want to be left to carry out their role without third parties barging in and trying to make the CC dance to their tune.

I like him too. Even when he turned away from his mic he was significantly more engaging than MG.

Is IS going to cause some of the BC fanclub to defect?

It does feel like the most enormous overstep. Why on earth would they think they would win? Is this an immediate example of true believers not being able to see the weakness of their own argument?

Never. BC was bloody epic. I've been missing him all day.

I was also impressed with his deft repositioning of the microphone to resolve the muffling issue. None of your Mr Hochhauser and his papers on top of his microphone here.

Obviously I wouldn't dream of posting the URL here, but if any Gardeners are watching this thread, there's a tweet on the LGBAlliance's twitter feed dated 9:00am this morning with a link to a page of interest which says they are at 94% of where they need to be, so if anyone has a few daffodil bulbs knocking around that they aren't using that might be a good direction to chuck them

I chucked a few crocuses in earlier. Looking forward to spring!

I've joined and don't have any visuals! Annoying. Will have to rely on your wit to describe the dishiness and microphone proficiency.

The CC are doing a good job here.

Hvaldimir might have got a couple too.

Now saying M said they did not say it was a sham (which I assume has to meet a in level in law), but a revelation of evidence to the 'true purposes' of LGBA.

there was something in their skeleton argument about this, where they seemed to acknowledge that they couldn’t prove LGBA’s sins were a “sham” because that was too high a bar to meet but… something something.

it wasn’t especially easy to follow their whole argument, which was technical and tedious, but I remember that part because it sounded particularly desperate!

Visuals arrived suddenly for me @FeatherPend

Sigh. Somehow “aims” was autocorrected to “sins” in my comment above. (And my frustrated “augh” was autocorrected to “sigh” just there, but I let it stand.)

Bundle! Bingo!

Yet again the bundle is not perfect.

Please. You know what happens when that word is bandied about.

BC I think will always be our number one, he was magnificent.