John Swinney is allowing the trans prisoners row to become an election issue

[Brefugee]

this is stunning. (sorry if someone already posted it)

Is there anything those of us outside Scotland can do?

Holyrood | John Swinney is allowing the trans prisoners row to become an election issue

Anything done by outside Scotland will only entrench the SNP and their supporters further.

I think he reckons this stance might lose him some votes but the majority of SNP voters will vote for them anyway as they would otherwise be politically homeless, are unaware or don't care about enough about this issue. He can then claim a mandate to continue with this policy. Much, iirc, the GR self ID was pursued because of a single line in the SNP's manifesto which, they claimed, meant Scottish voters were all for it.

Is there anything those of us outside Scotland can do?

No just watch and weep, those of us in Wales would be in the same position if it weren't for the fact we don't have a women's prison, we send them over the boarder to England. A dereliction of duty for those politicians who want to claim we're an independent kingdom.

Whenever I see men like this, so fervently and deliberately (unnecessarily) banging on about trans rights above women's rights, I always get a mental image of that Little Britain disgraced MP sketch.

Basically I am waiting for the Sunday papers exclusive of "<insert name here> sordid cross dressing sex fetish revealed!" splash report.

Why else are they going so far out of their way to appease a small bunch of people who almost certainly don't even vote anyway, on such a deeply unpopular bandwagon? They don't need to say anything at all, yet they volunteer to pipe up? It is inexplicable.

Why else are they going so far out of their way to appease a small bunch of people who almost certainly don't even vote anyway, on such a deeply unpopular bandwagon? They don't need to say anything at all, yet they volunteer to pipe up? It is inexplicable.

I totally agree. He is such a wet lettuce but it feels too deliberate for spinelessness. So many of the SNP MPs come across as just trolling us, the people they are meant to be serving.

I genuinely don't understand why he is doggedly pursuing this. Is it because he thinks that people don't really care about women in prison, so it won't lose them that many votes (and will keep the activists happy). Or that tribalism means people will.vote SNP regardless of what they do or how appalling their policies are?

As Wings Over Scotland said in the excellent piece they did Governing For Beginners - "So be careful who you vote for, readers, and try to have a better reason than that they’re “your” team. They’re not, and it isn’t a game."

Agree.

A significant boost for Reform in Scotland though, sadly.

Good article. It’s jaw-droppingly cruel to lock women up with men. Everyone knows this is such a shit policy. But still it goes on.

Elizabeth Fry’s life work ended up being for nothing.

The SNP echo chamber is so deafening, it's forced Swinney's earwax into his brain.

Good. Scots deserve a proper alternative. Why should Scots be faced with the choice only being a morally empty ideologically toxic nationalist party, and a wet flannel Lab LD Tory alternative?
Let's have some fresh blood, another choice.
And if you believe Reform are also morally empty ideologically toxic, then let's have two such choices, lol.

From the ridiculous to the extreme. What a shambles.

Sadly I think this is true. We'll end up with more of the same, perhaps SNP will lose a few more MSPs but that will just hand over the balance of power again to the bampot Greens or even Reform.

I'm truly scunnered as to how to vote in May, but hope I will get the chance to put my view across to some of the candidates at least.

We are all Sandie Peggie, Maria Kelly and those poor incarcerated women who have these appalling policies foisted on them.

You surely have a duty to vote anyway that stops SNP getting power. This is truly a jump the shark moment. Swinney and his intersectional IDentarian echo chamber ideologues need to be absolutely taught a hard brutal lesson.
If that means voting Lab or Reform, do it.
Leftists will certainly use this tactic against Reform in 2029.
SNP are now the avowed enemy of women in Scotland.

Impressed with the impassioned words from ex-Tory leader Douglas Ross in this area. First time in a while I've heard a Tory speak with great conviction.
Maybe the party is worth supporting?

@1984Now You surely have a duty to vote anyway that stops SNP getting power.

Any chance you can back off from telling women what to do? You post an awful lot on these threads and some of it is interesting and thought provoking, but you bring a lot of male energy to them too

Thank you for telling me what my duty is in your previous post.

In my constituency, the first past the post MSP is going to be either SNP or if all us worms turn, the next most probable is Lib Dem. Tories are nowhere.
I'm still trying to work out what's best to do for the list vote, there's contrary opinions all over the place and having just read the official guidance as to how the regional MSPs are arrived at I'm none the wiser.

You know what I mean, just like people tell me I must vote Reform, yada yada.
Let me rephrase, one might strongly consider etc.

I'm coming off the Red Bull intravenous.

You do have that vibe, often

I'm sure that's true. I guess we all have specific no win scenarios and zero sum game dilemmas re voting, good luck to those struggling with SNP policy here.

Yes

Has Swinney got skin in the game? Trans child? ( not that such a thing exists). Family member who claims to be trans? A partner who’s on the trans train that he can’t afford to alienate?

Or perhaps it’s more personal to him, cross dresser, AGP or just your ten a penny mysogynist?

I've wondered if he's being blackmailed, otherwise I cannot account for him.

The $64,000 dollar question. Just why.