PM programme on Hate Crime Act

[RoyalCorgi]

I thought the media coverage of the Hate Crime Act, and the PM programme in particular, deserved its own thread.

Normally, the BBC's coverage of trans issues tends to be a) minimal b) one sided. When Evan Davis presents the PM programme on R4 he usually interviews trans advocates like Joanna Harper but without anyone from the other side.

Today, Paddy McConnell was presenting, and JKR's series of tweets about the Hate Crime Act was one of the lead items on the programme. Not only that, the person they interviewed was from For Women Scotland, and she talked about how wonderful it was for JKR to have done this for other women.

I nearly fell off my chair.

They did spoil it slightly in their short news bulletin at 5.30 where they claimed that "sex" was one of the characteristics protected by the Hate Crime Act, which of course it isn't.

And that's just PM. Thanks to JKR, the Hate Crime Act is having far more coverage than would otherwise be the case, and people seem really angry about it. The Telegraph story on it now has 6,571 comments.

Meanwhile the guardian have alresdy shived it off the front page of the website

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/01/hate-act-will-lessen-public-trust-in-the-force-says-scottish-police-chief

though there is an option piece by Simon Jenkins pointing out its mad

I've was in a Toby Carvery for much of today (I may not need to eat again until next weekend), they had a TV on the wall showing BBC news. The sound wasn't on but the Hate Crime Act was showing up in the headlines fairly frequently.

We owe a great debt to our beleaguered Scottish brothers and sisters for having these reckless laws implemented north of the border. The ensuing clamour will help ensure they never get off the ground south of it. I hope Labour, the Senedd and Westminster are paying attention.

I am old enough to remember when batshit legislation was foisted on the Scots by tory governments to see if it would fly (Poll tax, anyone?) . Who thought we would all live so long to see the Scots dobbing themselves in on their own account? (mind, its not that long since someone picked einstuzende neubauten on desert island discs, so what do I know?)

I’m not in the UK atm but all of this looks quite promising. TFFJKR.