Hannah Bardell's mysteriously disappearing defamation

[ArabellaScott]

This outrageous article, in which an ex SNP MSP slanders women who opposed the GRR Bill was published in the Scotsman earlier today:

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/former-snp-mp-la-into-joanna-cherr-for-upset-and-distress-caused-over-gender-debate-5232783

But appears to have vanished within a few hours.

Luckily, someone had archived it smartly:

https://archive.ph/BEWjw#selection-1225.0-1285.342

'The debate has reignited over an ongoing employment tribunal in Fife where a nurse, Sandy Peggie, who was suspended over allegations of bullying and harassing a trans woman, is taking action against the health board.
Ms Bardell said: “This stuff is having a profound impact on society.
“I think it’s the last post of bigotry as well. We would not now discriminate against people because of their race, or their religion, or their sexuality. We used to, but we don’t any more.
“I think in 15 to 20 years’ time, hopefully sooner, we will look back and we will say ‘what a shameful thing to have done’ - ‘where did we lose our humanity?’”'
...
'The former MP was pressed over claims former first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s attitude towards opponents in the gender debate was to link “them in with right wing bigots”.
In response, Ms Bardell said: “I think, unfortunately, it’s true.
“I don’t think that it’s the case that everybody who is anti-trans is necessarily recognised as a bigot, nor should they be, because I think there’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there.
“We’re in the situation where people are being radicalised - people have become obsessed with folk’s genitalia and what’s in their pants. Where have we got to? Scotland has been, the world over, a nation that believed in humanity. We’re all Jock Tamson’s bairns according to Robert Burns. I think we need to get back to those fundamentals.”'

Apart from anything else, how is she tying Jock Tamson's bairns to Burns?!

Cherry's response:

'If I sued everyone who defamed me for standing up for the rights of women & lesbians I wouldn’t have time to get on with my life which has improved immeasurably away from the poisonous atmosphere Sturgeon fostered within the SNP & the bullying, harassment & discrimination I endured there on account of my sexuality & beliefs. Today’s events simply underline my relief. However, I will say this -
'It is not a good look for someone who self identifies as a feminist to respond to the abuse of another woman by saying she asked for it, particularly when that abuse involved threats of rape'

I googled Burns and Jock Tamson's bairns, and the magic AI gave me a link to The Guardian discussion https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-25895,00.html
🙄

ETA it seems to be full of answers that it might have been in a poem by Rabbie Burns.

It sounds very naive too to say that people don't discriminate due to e.g. race anymore. So racism isn't a problem? I wonder where she gave this interview and to what end (if she's not an msp anymore)

I bet Jock Tamson, and his wife who actually gave birth to their bairns, knew which of their bairns were Jock Tamson's sons and which where Jock Tamson's daughters..

Will the day ever come where journos ask what people mean by anti trans. I imagine that the number of people seeking to deny trans people their dignity and humanity is on a par with those wanting to deny gay people’s. I also imagine that the percentage of people who are interested in what is in the pants of trans people is the same as those interested in what is in the wider population’s pants.

If you can't understand the difference between "I want a group of people to be harmed" and "single-sex spaces should be part of the provision that exists" you aren't exactly fit to comment. On anything.

Oh my god, your username! 😂

We've seen a lot of this repeated 'probably racist' smear, for years.

Sturgeon:

'...there are people who have opposed this bill that cloak themselves in women's rights to make it acceptable, but just as they're transphobic you'll also find that they're deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well."

https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-sturgeon-accuses-gender-reform-opponents-of-using-womens-rights-as-cloak-of-acceptability-for-transphobia-12796827

NHS Scotland:

'The NHS Ayrshire and Arran policy titled Supporting Trans Service Users states how female patients who complain about male-bodied people being placed in a female-only ward may have to be "removed".
The health board has now said it is "reviewing" the guidance which states: "if a white woman complained to a nurse about sharing a ward with a black patient or a heterosexual male complained about being in a ward with a gay man, we would expect our staff to act immediately."'

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/fury-scots-health-board-says-28710585

Sandy Peggie's boss:

'The senior charge nurse told Ms Russell KC that she had heard Ms Peggie had views on "religion, race and politics" through conversations with other staff members.
She states that she had heard Ms Peggie was not happy about transgender staff using female facilities, before stating: "I believe there had been a racist comment to one of our junior doctors who is now a consultant."'

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/5292680/sandie-peggie-boss-nhs-fife-claims-racist-remark-doctor/

Sturgeon makes a vague smear against unspecified people. The NHS creates a hypothetical racist strawman. Peggie's boss refers to second hand gossip.

All of it reveals that these people cannot actually condemn the wrongthink that is women calmly asserting their rights and their sex. They have to reach for another offence - and if it doesn't exist, they are damn well going to create it, insinuate it, or propose it.

And more reports today the complaint was sharing with a "transgender" doctor. No numpty, its about sharing with a MAN. Whether trans man, black man, disabled man, gay man or whatever. A man, all else is irrelevant.

Source of Bardell's defamation was this BBC Sounds interview:

'I was talking to somebody the other day who is trans, has been out for 30 years,
has transitioned, and is in the situation where they cannot go to the toilet at their work, and it is having a profound impact on their family. They said that their child has been deeply anxious and upset watching the news, coming to them and saying, "I'm so sorry. You know, are you going to be able to go to the toilet at work, their mother, their wife?'

This person can use the toilet, just not the toilet set aside for members of the opposite sex.

their child has been deeply anxious and upset watching the news, coming to them and saying, "I'm so sorry. You know, are you going to be able to go to the toilet at work, their mother, their wife?”

Am I missing something? A child wouldn’t think he was their mother, would they? Even if their father has been identifying as a woman the whole of the child’s life.

As you say, he can use the men’s loos, which — unless he’s one of the tiny percentage that have genital surgery — are equipped for him.

I have no idea what the non-sequitur 'their mother, their wife' bit was about. I suppose a suggestion that the person's wife and mother were also coming and apologising to this person for their inability to use the toilet according to their sex. It's disjointed, but that's unsurprising.

The male toilets are equipped for TIMs regardless of genital surgery or not - they all have cubicles as well as urinals (at least they do here)!

Despite any altering of the male fixture cosmetically, the male toilets have full provisions for all males!