Is anyone else watching the debate in the HOC live now?

[Sausagenbacon]

Gripping stuff. Unfortunately I've missed the 1st 30 minutes, and I'm hoping I can catch up.

It's staggering how even once-intelligent QCs have been ensnared by this cult-like thinking.

Link to Hansard if anyone is interested.

hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-01-17/debates/C38A813A-B5E9-41E5-97AC-FAF39F161706/GenderRecognitionReform(Scotland)BillSection35Power

Miriam Cates starts her speech at 4.50 pm.

Thornberry has a transman relative, and seems to have completely lost the plot on this as a result.

It's bizarre. You can support any trans people you know / are related to without ever having to agree on anything which isn't scientifically / biologically possible.

I do this every day with the trans man I work with. My feelings / beliefs aren't ever brought into it as there's no need.

Section 35 was also debated in the Lords yesterday:

hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2023-01-18/debates/27EECCF9-B604-4C5B-8166-DDE2DD23AB0C/ScotlandAct1998Section35Power

Thanks for that. I couldn't bring myself to listen to the speeches but it's interesting to read them. Cates is very calm and rational. For me the most significant thing she says is "if the law is not based on fact, then how can we trust the law?" That is absolutely fundamental, and something all legislators should have in mind when passing law.

LRM, on the other hand, just delivers an angry rant, with characteristic use and misuse of the word "dogwhistle". They really are completely without the bounds of reason.

Bottomley a bit earlier in the debate is sensible too - talks about ensuring women’s rights are protected.

Thanks for the Hansard links.

I find it frustrating that whole the words of the main speakers are recorded, the insults and heckling are just down as (interruption) and not clear who. So people like Ben Bradshaw slide under the radar.

I started listening as Jack made the statement to the house. In the debate that followed a lot of the women MPs were being heckled, but you could at least hear male MPs in the background saying things like “mate, you’re literally talking over women, stop it”.

Mordaunt in the Commons today. Changed her tune:

twitter.com/pennymordaunt/status/1616112489309028355?s=46&t=Xt-M748KvrsLbs2HsyjUsg

Found this form. Interestingly, and surprisingly you can tick a box to say you're complaining about sexism and misogyny!

labour.org.uk/complaints/making-a-complaint/

You can hear someone (male) coaching Miriam through hers, "ignore them....you've got 2 minutes" etc. I'd like to know who they were and thank them.

Thank you, I've complained via that method as well now. The list of tick boxes was interesting!

Wasn't it!

I'm wondering whether to go through and do one for all the labour MPs at the demo, BB and CN for their behaviour towards RD and MC etc.

Could keep me busy!

Welll, would be a shame not to really wouldn't it! Wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good set of tick boxes

They're so of calling to me. What's uncomradely behaviour in their book do you think? Is screaming at a colleague comradely?

Oh I'd say definitely NOT comradely but then i currently seem to be a rather defective member of the Labour party so who knows!

Thank you. This is very useful.

I think the nearest mp to Cates was Bernard Jenkin

I wonder if it was him then. It was a kind and supportive voice that I would have appreciated in her situation (I will never be in her situation because I'm a coward, and I'd have cried)