Latest news with #Bardell
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon book compared to Barack Obama memoir. Really?
We are now T-minus 23 days away from the publication of Frankly, Nicola Sturgeon's memoirs, and things are already becoming too silly for words. The [[pub]]lishers have been sending out advance copies to 'friendly' reviewers in the hope of getting some nice words for the cover. I'm not sure Andrew O'Hagan has done himself, or the former First Minister, any favours with his contribution. 'A triumph,' says the author of Mayflies and Caledonian Road. 'Frankly is the most insightful and stylishly open memoir by a politician since Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father.' Sturgeon the new Obama? If only. And what does 'stylishly open' mean? That it's got more holes in it than Rab C Nesbitt's vest? JK Rowling has added to the excitement by offering to review the book for free, as long as newspaper editors don't edit out the swear words. The book's [[pub]]lication was always going to be a three-ring circus (insert tent jokes here). But you might have thought with the Sandie Peggie tribunal going on that some restraint, sensitivity even, was called for. Alas, no. What we got instead was a spectacularly clumsy intervention from former SNP MP and Sturgeon pal Hannah Bardell. Read more The occasion was the newspaper review on BBC Radio Scotland's The Sunday Show, presented by Graham Stewart. What follows is an account of what happened, edited for brevity and my sanity. You know, there were an awful lot of you knows, you know? In the papers was Brian Leishman MP, recently stripped of the Labour whip for serially rebelling, or what one party wag called 'persistent knobheadery'. Bardell said she had 'a lot of respect for Brian' and his principled stands. As an [[SNP]] MP she had been in the fortunate position of agreeing with most of what the party stood for. 'But if you're in the situation where you believe in certain values that your party should hold … and you see it veering off to the right, I think fair play, stay and fight. I know it's a thorn in Keir Starmer's side, but that's the kind of people we need in politics.' Asked if that had worked for Joanna Cherry, Bardell replied: 'Joanna caused a huge amount of upset and distress to a huge number of people, particularly in the trans community. Our party should have been stronger on that… because there are people, vulnerable communities, particularly the trans community, that are facing widespread ostracisation in the media, from very senior people, and Joanna has been one of those. I find that heartbreaking.' This 'stuff', continued Bardell, was 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. In 15 to 20 years, hopefully sooner, we will look back and say what a shameful thing to have done. Where did we lose our humanity?' Stewart, still taking shots at an open goal, said Nicola Sturgeon had upset a lot of people on the other side of the debate by linking them with 'right-wing bigots'. Was that necessarily helpful language? Bardell: 'I think unfortunately it's true. I don't think it's the case that everybody who is anti-trans is necessarily recognised as a bigot, nor should they be, because there's a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there. But we're in the situation that people are being radicalised. People have become obsessed with folks' genitalia, 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 Jack (sic) Jock Tamson's bairns according to Robert Burns. We need to get back to those fundamentals.' Dear Lord, where do you even start? Radicalised? Saying people are too stupid to know misinformation and disinformation when they encounter them? A nation obsessed with what's in people's pants? To think Bardell describes herself on LinkedIn as 'a problem solver with excellent negotiation, leadership and communication skills'. Yes, you and Mr Blobby, mate. Ordinarily, Joanna Cherry KC might have been all over Bardell's comments like the pattern on an Orla Kiely bag, but she chose to rise above them, saying on X: '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". Now there's an example we might all follow as this 'debate' rumbles on, possibly to the Holyrood elections and beyond given the speed at which John Swinney is not moving. That's a long haul and then some. Even then, as with the independence referendum, we will never be completely done with it. Resentments are festering, not healing. In the meantime, the rest of us will keep stumbling on, trying to do the right thing, sometimes getting it wrong like the flawed humans we are, and all the time fearful of being called out by one side or the other. Who wants to live like that? Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall be heading back to 2014, that more innocent time when the most terrifying words you might hear were 'Hello, I'm Jim Murphy.' If that doesn't work I'll be joining the lad from Essex in the 1940s. Rest assured: we'll meet again soon.
The Herald Scotland
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon book compared to Barack Obama memoir: really?
We are now T-minus 23 days away from the publication of Frankly, Nicola Sturgeon's memoirs, and things are already becoming too silly for words. The [[pub]]lishers have been sending out advance copies to 'friendly' reviewers in the hope of getting some nice words for the cover. I'm not sure Andrew O'Hagan has done himself, or the former First Minister, any favours with his contribution. 'A triumph,' says the author of Mayflies and Caledonian Road. 'Frankly is the most insightful and stylishly open memoir by a politician since Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father.' Sturgeon the new Obama? If only. And what does 'stylishly open' mean? That it's got more holes in it than Rab C Nesbitt's vest? JK Rowling has added to the excitement by offering to review the book for free, as long as newspaper editors don't edit out the swear words. The book's [[pub]]lication was always going to be a three-ring circus (insert tent jokes here). But you might have thought with the Sandie Peggie tribunal going on that some restraint, sensitivity even, was called for. Alas, no. What we got instead was a spectacularly clumsy intervention from former SNP MP and Sturgeon pal Hannah Bardell. Read more The occasion was the newspaper review on BBC Radio Scotland's The Sunday Show, presented by Graham Stewart. What follows is an account of what happened, edited for brevity and my sanity. You know, there were an awful lot of you knows, you know? In the papers was Brian Leishman MP, recently stripped of the Labour whip for serially rebelling, or what one party wag called 'persistent knobheadery'. Bardell said she had 'a lot of respect for Brian' and his principled stands. As an [[SNP]] MP she had been in the fortunate position of agreeing with most of what the party stood for. 'But if you're in the situation where you believe in certain values that your party should hold … and you see it veering off to the right, I think fair play, stay and fight. I know it's a thorn in Keir Starmer's side, but that's the kind of people we need in politics.' Asked if that had worked for Joanna Cherry, Bardell replied: 'Joanna caused a huge amount of upset and distress to a huge number of people, particularly in the trans community. Our party should have been stronger on that… because there are people, vulnerable communities, particularly the trans community, that are facing widespread ostracisation in the media, from very senior people, and Joanna has been one of those. I find that heartbreaking.' This 'stuff', continued Bardell, was 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. In 15 to 20 years, hopefully sooner, we will look back and say what a shameful thing to have done. Where did we lose our humanity?' Stewart, still taking shots at an open goal, said Nicola Sturgeon had upset a lot of people on the other side of the debate by linking them with 'right-wing bigots'. Was that necessarily helpful language? Bardell: 'I think unfortunately it's true. I don't think it's the case that everybody who is anti-trans is necessarily recognised as a bigot, nor should they be, because there's a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there. But we're in the situation that people are being radicalised. People have become obsessed with folks' genitalia, 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 Jack (sic) Jock Tamson's bairns according to Robert Burns. We need to get back to those fundamentals.' Dear Lord, where do you even start? Radicalised? Saying people are too stupid to know misinformation and disinformation when they encounter them? A nation obsessed with what's in people's pants? To think Bardell describes herself on LinkedIn as 'a problem solver with excellent negotiation, leadership and communication skills'. Yes, you and Mr Blobby, mate. Ordinarily, Joanna Cherry KC might have been all over Bardell's comments like the pattern on an Orla Kiely bag, but she chose to rise above them, saying on X: '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". Now there's an example we might all follow as this 'debate' rumbles on, possibly to the Holyrood elections and beyond given the speed at which John Swinney is not moving. That's a long haul and then some. Even then, as with the independence referendum, we will never be completely done with it. Resentments are festering, not healing. In the meantime, the rest of us will keep stumbling on, trying to do the right thing, sometimes getting it wrong like the flawed humans we are, and all the time fearful of being called out by one side or the other. Who wants to live like that? Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall be heading back to 2014, that more innocent time when the most terrifying words you might hear were 'Hello, I'm Jim Murphy.' If that doesn't work I'll be joining the lad from Essex in the 1940s. Rest assured: we'll meet again soon.
Scotsman
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Former SNP MP attacks Joanna Cherry for 'upset and distress' caused over gender debate
A former SNP MP has warned that transphobia is 'the last post of bigotry'. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry has been accused of causing 'a huge amount of upset and distress to a huge number of people' by one of her former party colleagues over the gender debate. Ms Cherry, the former MP for Edinburgh South West, who lost her seat last July after enduring the fourth biggest swing against any SNP MP, has been a vocal critic of the SNP supporting trans rights and the principle of self-ID. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joanna Cherry and Hannah Bardell | Getty/PA The SNP Westminster manifesto which Ms Cherry was re-elected on in 2019, included a pledge to 'improve and simplify the process by which a trans person can obtain legal recognition'. But in the lead-up to last year's general election, Ms Cherry amplified her opposition to her party's longstanding position. Former SNP MP Hannah Bardell, who also lost her seat last year, has attacked Ms Cherry's intervention in the gender debate and suggested her party should have put a stop to her outbursts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Bardell told the BBC: 'Joanna caused a huge amount of upset and distress to a huge number of people, particularly in the trans community. 'For me, our party should have been stronger on that and it needs to continue to be stronger on that.' She added: 'There are vulnerable communities, particularly the trans community, that are facing widespread ostracization in the media from very senior people, and Joanna has been one of those. I find that heartbreaking and I find it incredibly painful.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Bardell highlighted the fallout from the Supreme Court judgment that ruled, for the first time, that a woman in the Equality Act refers to a biological woman - which has led to some public bodies and businesses banning trans people from using the bathroom of their lived gender, despite new guidelines yet to be published by the EHRC equalities watchdog and signed off by the UK government. Members of For Women Scotland celebrate the Supreme Court ruling that the word 'woman' the 2010 Equality Act refers to a biological woman (Picture: Lucy North) | PA 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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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.
Scotsman
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Former SNP MP attacks Joanna Cherry for 'upset and distress' caused over gender debate
A former SNP MP has warned that transphobia is 'the last post of bigotry'. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry has been accused of causing 'a huge amount of upset and distress to a huge number of people' by one of her former party colleagues over the gender debate. Ms Cherry, the former MP for Edinburgh South West, who lost her seat last July after enduring the fourth biggest swing against any SNP MP, has been a vocal critic of the SNP supporting trans rights and the principle of self-ID. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joanna Cherry and Hannah Bardell | Getty/PA The SNP Westminster manifesto which Ms Cherry was re-elected on in 2019, included a pledge to 'improve and simplify the process by which a trans person can obtain legal recognition'. But in the lead-up to last year's general election, Ms Cherry amplified her opposition to her party's longstanding position. Former SNP MP Hannah Bardell, who also lost her seat last year, has attacked Ms Cherry's intervention in the gender debate and suggested her party should have put a stop to her outbursts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Bardell told the BBC: 'Joanna caused a huge amount of upset and distress to a huge number of people, particularly in the trans community. 'For me, our party should have been stronger on that and it needs to continue to be stronger on that.' She added: 'There are vulnerable communities, particularly the trans community, that are facing widespread ostracization in the media from very senior people, and Joanna has been one of those. I find that heartbreaking and I find it incredibly painful.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Bardell highlighted the fallout from the Supreme Court judgment that ruled, for the first time, that a woman in the Equality Act refers to a biological woman - which has led to some public bodies and businesses banning trans people from using the bathroom of their lived gender, despite new guidelines yet to be published by the EHRC equalities watchdog and signed off by the UK government. Members of For Women Scotland celebrate the Supreme Court ruling that the word 'woman' the 2010 Equality Act refers to a biological woman (Picture: Lucy North) | PA 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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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.
