Secretary of State for Scotland looking at using Westminster powers to overule gender recognition bill

[fromorbit]

Alister Jack has said he is willing to consider blocking the Gender Recognition Reform Bill under Section 35 of the Scotland Act.
twitter.com/JournoStephen

Detailed Review of the Legal case that powers that could be used:
ukconstitutionallaw.org/2022/12/21/michael-foran-sex-gender-and-the-scotland-act/

In short it seems there are potential good grounds to use Section 35 in this case due to contradictions in the legislation. [Lots of speculation that this was this Sturgeon's aim all along create legislation so bad it would be overturned and increase support for Indy? However I think this is just a case of pure ideology combined with incompetence.]

Writing into your MP especially if they are a Tory would be a good move at this point.

How fab if the UK rides to the rescue of women in Scotland- and what a bad look for the SNP!
What better illustration could we have for the benefits of the Union?!

Also shows the gravity of the situation that MPs are prepared to use these powers. Maybe women matter after all.

Thanks for the heads up on this, I have a Tory MP and have been feeling very upset and powerless about the Scottish situation today. I will write to him.

Call me a cynic but I think if this happens NS will twist it to garner more support for Independence by saying it's an example of Westminster meddling from afar in Scottish affairs and thus why devolution doesn't cut it.

That said I hope people will see through it and think deeply about the hold the SNP have in Scotland and if they were to hold power in an independent Scotland, the damage they could do having no effective opposition.

The truth is that this is a very shoddy piece of legislation regardless of where you stand on the matter of gender reform for example giving no thought to the implications of de-transition.

Your first paragraph is what I worry about.

Probably what sturgeon is hoping for. Plus international sympathy for the independence cause.

@ResisterRex posted this excellent piece by Sex Matters on another thread: sex-matters.org/posts/updates/the-question-for-the-next-four-weeks/

Call me naive but if Scottish women don't want this change in the law then how in the hell has it been voted through? Women make up slightly more than half the population. I'm tempted to think most must support the change or just not (inexplicably) care very much.

@Untitledsquatboulder because often politicians don’t care what their constituents think sadly.
Also many are afraid to look like bigots.

Because nobody cares what women think and Nicola Sturgeon certainly doesn't. Women in Scotland and elsewhere have consistently opposed this and been ignored. It's depressing.

I really hope this happens

Very few politicians care about what their constituents think. They're not there to serve the people; they're there to serve the Party.

I think every single vote in Parliament should be a conscience vote.

@Blondlashes @AngryGoblin but how does this work in a system of 1 person, 1 vote? We are not yet at a stage where the votes of natal women count for less than those of natal men (but give it time).

They are banking on the voters being angrier about Westminster interference than about the SNP legally fucking over women and children.

The evidence in the polls does not support this. Scots women and sane voters at this point are more likely to see Westminster as their rescuers rather than their persecutors.

But reality isn't something the SNP are good at. And they don't believe in democracy.

Obviously the SNP would try to make it an indy issue. However that is not bad because it keeps the debate fresh. Fact is most people do not want Scottish Indy alongside more power for rapists over women. That is what the discussion has boiled down to. .

The Tories have very little going for them right now. A culture war issue where they can look good by being against sex offenders is a huge gift for them which could keep being played on till net election. Especially as Labour have stupidly backed it.

Can anyone help me word a letter to my Tory MP.

Because a huge number simply aren't following it, don't understand it, and don't think it will affect them or their families.

I have 20-something children (m & f) who are very sensible and intelligent people, don't support independence, and hate Sturgeon with a passion - but have fallen hook, line and sinker for the #BeKind crap this hides behind. Any debate ends with me being told it's akin to the lack of tolerance gay people were shown back when I was young in the 80s. They genuinely can't grasp what this means for women and girls and don't see it to be a serious issue.

Me too - I'm not quite sure how to word such a letter.

Because

Robison: We must lead popular opinion, not follow it

Plus SNP members were not given a free vote on this. So it wasn’t a case of “do I agree or disagree with this vote” but “do I disagree strong enough to maybe trash my career over this?”

It seems that 9 out of (I think) 64 are willing to trash their career over this. It is the biggest revolt ever by the SNP.

Untitledsquatboulder, 1000 women (including my DD) demonstrated outside Holyrood while this vile bill was being debated. Over 2/3 of the electorate don’t want it in polling.
The SNP don’t give a shit about women. They know we don’t want it. They know it destroys our right to single sex spaces, safety, privacy and dignity. But they are in thrall to the Greens, on whom they rely for a majority in the Assembly. And the Greens have been completely hijacked by the transgender brigade.

Call me naive but if Scottish women don't want this change in the law then how in the hell has it been voted through?

THEY DON’T KNOW!

Voters didn’t vote for this.

It wasn’t in the SNP manifesto.

The creepy Greens only got 220,000 votes across Scotland but Sturgeon is dependent on them for her majority.

It hasn’t been reported in the media until recently.

I promise you women in Scotland do not believe women have willies or that sex is not a binary. Neither do men. Nonetheless the parties they elect all voted to say that men are women.

One of the MPs who voted this in said on the radio that they had had lots of submissions from all sorts of people and when asked about one of them, then said 'I didn't read it'.

They literally ignored every single piece of evidence against this and are quite happy to say so.

Yes, I would be grateful for this too.

Sex Matters are drawing up a template letter should be up on their website soon this is mentioned at the end of this article so maybe wait on that for advice. Their discussion is very informative:

sex-matters.org/posts/updates/the-question-for-the-next-four-weeks/

Brilliant, thanks @fromorbit - will keep a close eye on that.

In the meantime, does anyone have any advice on how I can counter the 'gay people suffered the same persecution when you were young, mum' argument my DC trot out?