Latest news with #MisogynyBill
Scotsman
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Women won't forget Sturgeon's role in gender controversy
Nicola Sturgeon's response to last week's Supreme Court judgment around sex and gender continues to provoke discussion Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox 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... Speaking to the media last Tuesday Nicola Sturgeon, SNP MSP and a former first minister, voiced her disagreement with the recent Supreme Court ruling that the legal meaning of 'sex', 'woman' and 'man' is defined by biology in the UK Equality Act 2010. Of course she disagrees. After all, she is part of a wider crusade for changing the meaning of these words in law, language and policy, stripping them of their biological definition. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad True to form Ms Sturgeon used stark, dark, yet unspecific rhetoric. The lives of trans persons might become 'impossibly difficult', even 'unliveable', she warned. She didn't provide any examples as to what this could involve. She also lamented that the planned Misogyny Bill might be shelved and insinuated that For Women Scotland, who had brought about the court judgment, only 'purported' to have women's interests at heart. Nicola Sturgeon remains defiant on the trans controversy (Picture: Robert Perry/PA) As ever, her comments were selective. Firstly, the Supreme Court judgment didn't change the law. It clarified the legal meaning of certain terms, no more, no less. It didn't alter existing protections for anyone. Secondly, Ms Sturgeon omits the fact that her own government in 2022 offered a separate Misogyny Bill because they stubbornly refused to include 'sex' as a protected characteristic in the Hate Crime Bill. Now, three years later, this will be reversed and 'sex', presumably in its biological definition, will be added to the list. Thirdly, her notion that For Women Scotland 'purport' to support women is downright offensive. These are women who – in a David and Goliath fight and despite normal everyday life pressures like family and job commitments – put their time, energy and resources into taking the Scottish Government to the Supreme Court, and won. Their efforts have put the brakes on distorting the legal meaning of what a woman is and saved us from being deleted as a sex class. Insinuating that they are mere pretenders is shameful. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Sturgeon's words have been heard and I can reassure her that women won't forget. Regina Erich, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire Both-ways Harry There are many ordinary people in our country who have genuine ongoing fears for their safety and yet have no right to 24-hour police protection, not least many victims of domestic abuse. It is therefore astonishing that the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, as a wealthy non-UK resident, thinks he should have automatic entitlement to police protection every time he rocks up in town. The Prince's security woes stem largely from him foolishly (and disrespectfully) admitting killing Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, in a 2013 television interview, while wearing a British Army uniform. It was his mistake, and over a decade on he is wealthy enough to pay for his own security to mitigate that mistake. Particularly as he further antagonised things through more needless disclosures on this in his 2023 book, Spare. Admitting killing insurgents (in a one-sided fight from the relative safety of a hi-tech helicopter) is evidently easier than living with the long-term personal security consequences. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Yes, I get it, he wants armed protection in the UK, and argues, wrongly, that it can only come from the police. But the police have never said he wouldn't get armed protection, just that it would be on a case-by-case basis. In return, he needs to recognise that a couple of armed police officers walking alongside him, as he wanders central London at will, aren't going to protect either him (or them!) against the sort of threat to his safety that the Taliban represent. If he were genuinely concerned about that threat, it would be easily mitigated by living a low-profile life on a country estate (Frogmore Cottage?). With plenty of gamekeepers around, as gamekeepers are allowed to be armed in the UK, unlike private security guards. But there we get to the crux of the matter – the Prince complains about his personal security, but isn't willing to make the lifestyle sacrifices necessary to minimise the risk. He wants it both ways. And for UK taxpayers to foot the bill. Mark Campbell-Roddis, Dunblane, Perthshire Pure madness I couldn't agree more with Alexander McKay when he describes Ed Miliband's actions as 'blind zealotry' (Letters, 8 May). The idea that our mines are being concreted in is an example of total and complete imbecility in pursuit of what Reform's Richard Tice calls (rather engagingly) 'net stupid zero'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When we are trying to retain our one and only steelworks in Scunthorpe which needs that British coke, and when we have two totally inept governments who have now lost Grangemouth, I despair at how gullible people can be. How can anyone who claims to be a First Minister at Holyrood, or a minister at Westminster, not do a minimum of research to find out that the Chinese and Indians are putting CO2 into the same atmosphere that we all breathe? Do they think it is acceptable that it should be said of us by a US negotiator that 'you don't make anything anymore' when our nation once called itself 'the workshop of the world'? These people should hang their heads in shame! An example of the sort of nonsense Mr Miliband probably believes is the claim that the UK hit 40 degrees C (105 Fahrenheit) for the first time in 2022, for example. A casual glance at historic records shows that temperature being hit several times in the past: 1906 in Morpeth; 1909 in Bristol; 1921 in London (110F, in fact!) and so on. This climate madness plays into the hands of extremists like the SNP and the Greens who wish to destroy our country. It is politically motivated against the West. The East just laughs and thumbs its nose at us. Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh Ethnic cleansing Just when you think things couldn't get worse in Gaza, they do. The latest ruse by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his fellow war criminals is to invade Gaza and stay there, as an occupying force. The far from cunning plan is to press the local Palestinian population to look for accommodation elsewhere. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If that's not ethnic cleansing, I'm not sure what is. The only spoke in this lethal wheel is that this occupation would require reservist forces to be recruited to boost the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) numbers. Thankfully, only a small reluctant minority are answering the call, as more and more Israelis are appalled by the atrocities being carried out in Gaza in their name. Ironically, despite appearances, there are no clear winners in this war. In an increasingly dangerous Middle East, Iran is edging steadily to a closer involvement. Israel is becoming more and more isolated as a pariah state, whose 'best friend' Donald Trump is steadily becoming its only friend, and even his patience is wearing thin. The major sticking block to peace is Netanyahu himself and his deeply unpopular government. The sooner they're voted out of office in the 'only democracy in the Middle East', the better. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh Slippery slope Murdo Fraser MSP is right to be concerned about the strength of the safeguards included in the proposed Assisted Dying Bill being considered in the Scottish Parliament next week ('Why Scotland's assisted dying bill would make death an acceptable substitute for care', Perspective, 6 May). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Not only would assisted dying slowly mutate, as he suggests, from being a right to a perceived duty, but the legalisation of assisted suicide (where individuals take their own lives with assistance) will inevitably lead to euthanasia (where other persons end the lives of the individuals). For example, some people with advanced neurological conditions may have significant physical impairments, making them unable to take the assisted suicide drugs themselves to end their lives, making the legislation discriminatory. Because of such limitations it has already been suggested that healthcare professionals should be able to administer the drug in certain circumstances, thus transforming assisted suicide into an act of euthanasia. It is striking to note the speed in which Canada has moved from legislation similar to the proposed Scottish Assisted Dying Bill to legislation which allows euthanasia by lethal injection for individuals irrespective of capacity and irrespective of terminal illness. All this means that, if ever the Bill becomes law, it seems inevitable that further demands to liberalise the legislation in Scotland will take place through the courts and judicial systems which may even include euthanasia of children, as in The Netherlands! Nobody can, as yet, predict where all this will end. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad (Dr) Calum MacKellar, Director of Research, Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, Edinburgh Dark irony When I see the famous photograph of the women at Trafalgar Square on VE Day 1945, one of whom was my mother-in-law, I am struck that we are celebrating VE Day when Europe is facing another tyrant who clearly wishes to conquer a European nation which is free and democratic. We are beholden to ensure that the Ukraine remains so, despite the lies which Putin's Russia spins about them being 'Nazis'. The only state in the conflict which meets the criteria of emulating Hitler's attacks on its neighbours using such false flags is Putin's Russia. Yet, amazingly, the men who are shown, putting up the Soviet flag over the Reichstag in 1945 were a Ukrainian, assisted by a Georgian! Those two nations are both victims of post-war Russian aggression. Peter Hopkins, Edinburgh Write to The Scotsman Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
The National
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Joanna Cherry slates Nicola Sturgeon response to Supreme Court ruling
The top court's ruling was seen as a major defeat for the trans rights movement – and the former SNP first minister broke her silence on the issue on Monday. Sturgeon said the judgment, which said women were defined in law by biology and which has triggered a roll-back in trans rights, could make trans people's lives 'unliveable'. Cherry, one of the former FM's fiercest critics within the SNP, accused Sturgeon of 'fatuous hyperbole'. She said 'To say that The Supreme Court judgment means we are 'at risk of making the lives of trans people almost unliveable' is the sort of fatuous hyperbole that she has indulged in in relation to these issues from the outset and it is deeply irresponsible for any politician to so misrepresent the judgment.' Nicola Sturgeon reacts to UK Supreme Court judgement on the definition of a woman. Warns equalities watchdog guidance could make trans lives 'unliveable'. — Craig Meighan (@craigymeighan) May 6, 2025 The former SNP MP, who lost her seat at last year's General Election, also claimed Sturgeon was trying to 'rewrite history' by saying that all sides of the debate had been listened to when drawing up controversial trans rights laws, which have since been shelved. The SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which sought to make the process of getting a Gender Recognition Certificate easier, was criticised by gender critical feminists for promoting 'self-ID' practices, which they said would mean anyone who claimed to be a woman would be considered one in law. READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon breaks silence on Supreme Court gender ruling Cherry added: 'It's simply not true to say that all opinions were taken account of in this debate. 'She branded the views of those of us who pointed out the implications for the rights of women, including lesbians, as 'not valid' and she called us transphobes bigots, racists and homophobes.' Speaking to reporters in Holyrood as John Swinney prepared to set out the SNP's legislative agenda, Sturgeon (below) also claimed that the Supreme Court ruling had contributed to the Scottish Government shelving its plans to make misogyny a specific hate crime. (Image: Andrew Milligan) Cherry said: ''Her snide suggestion that the Supreme Court judgement has stymied the Misogyny Bill has no basis in fact unless, of course, she is referring to the fact that misogyny was going to be defined as including hatred against men. 'She seems also to be forgetting that it was her Government that prevented sex being included as a protected characteristic in the Hate Crime Bill. 'Nicola Sturgeon is trying to rewrite history in relation to these matters, but those of us who fought her every inch of the way in her attack on the rights of women and LGB people will not let her do so.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Joanna Cherry slates 'snide' Nicola Sturgeon's response to Supreme Court ruling
File photograph of former SNP MP Joanna Cherry speaking in the House of Commons (Image: PA) JOANNA Cherry has hit out at Nicola Sturgeon's response to the Supreme Court verdict that women are defined by biology. The top court's ruling was seen as a major defeat for the trans rights movement – and the former SNP first minister broke her silence on the issue on Monday. Sturgeon said the judgment, which said women were defined in law by biology and which has triggered a roll-back in trans rights, could make trans people's lives 'unliveable'. Cherry, one of the former FM's fiercest critics within the SNP, accused Sturgeon of 'fatuous hyperbole'. She said 'To say that The Supreme Court judgment means we are 'at risk of making the lives of trans people almost unliveable' is the sort of fatuous hyperbole that she has indulged in in relation to these issues from the outset and it is deeply irresponsible for any politician to so misrepresent the judgment.' Nicola Sturgeon reacts to UK Supreme Court judgement on the definition of a woman. Warns equalities watchdog guidance could make trans lives 'unliveable'. — Craig Meighan (@craigymeighan) May 6, 2025 The former SNP MP, who lost her seat at last year's General Election, also claimed Sturgeon was trying to 'rewrite history' by saying that all sides of the debate had been listened to when drawing up controversial trans rights laws, which have since been shelved. ADVERTISEMENT The SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which sought to make the process of getting a Gender Recognition Certificate easier, was criticised by gender critical feminists for promoting 'self-ID' practices, which they said would mean anyone who claimed to be a woman would be considered one in law. READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon breaks silence on Supreme Court gender ruling Cherry added: 'It's simply not true to say that all opinions were taken account of in this debate. 'She branded the views of those of us who pointed out the implications for the rights of women, including lesbians, as 'not valid' and she called us transphobes bigots, racists and homophobes.' Speaking to reporters in Holyrood as John Swinney prepared to set out the SNP's legislative agenda, Sturgeon (below) also claimed that the Supreme Court ruling had contributed to the Scottish Government shelving its plans to make misogyny a specific hate crime. ADVERTISEMENT (Image: Andrew Milligan) Cherry said: ''Her snide suggestion that the Supreme Court judgement has stymied the Misogyny Bill has no basis in fact unless, of course, she is referring to the fact that misogyny was going to be defined as including hatred against men. 'She seems also to be forgetting that it was her Government that prevented sex being included as a protected characteristic in the Hate Crime Bill. 'Nicola Sturgeon is trying to rewrite history in relation to these matters, but those of us who fought her every inch of the way in her attack on the rights of women and LGB people will not let her do so.'
Scotsman
04-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Programme for Government: Five things we can expect in John Swinney's strategy
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... John Swinney will publish his last Programme for Government before next year's Holyrood election - with the policy prospectus expected to set the tone for the march to the ballot box. Although the First Minister will likely need funding in next year's Budget to pay for any bold policies and commitments, Mr Swinney could chart an more ambitious course than we have seen from him a year on from re-entering frontline politics to steady the SNP ship. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad John Swinney has helped steady the SNP ship (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images The Scotsman takes a look at five things we can expect to see in Tuesday's Programme for Government. Action to revive the NHS The health service will likely be the big focus at next year's election. If Labour leader Anas Sarwar had it his way, that would be the only issue talked about. Mr Swinney has insisted delivering on the NHS and ebbing away at those waiting times we now expect as part and parcel of the health service, will be a key priorities in his Programme for Government. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But it is unclear what legislation could underpin making improvements in the NHS. Unfinished business The First Minister shifted the timetable for the Programme for Government - usually published in September, to give him a whole 12 months to deliver ahead of next year's election. Last week, Mr Swinney caused anger by confirming his long-delayed and controversial Misogyny Bill will not see the light of day until after the election. There are already 14 government bills current in Holyrood and we know there will be a Budget Bill needed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That doesn't give Mr Swinney's Government much room to introduce a swathe of radical pieces of policy without pausing some of those Bills already in the system. Key pieces of legislation such as the Human Rights Bill could be further delayed. Climate action action on track The last 12 months have not exactly been a shining example of how to tackle the climate crisis in Scotland- targets have been scrapped and watered down. But the First Minister has insisted that charting a path to net zero remains one of his four key priorities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Campaigners have warned this is the 'last chance' for his Government to bring forward action needed to get Scotland's strategy to reach net zero back on track. We can expect the Heat In Buildings Bill to finally come forward - but the proposals have already been criticised as being watered down and lacking ambition. Continuing anti-poverty push The First Minister has made no secret of his number one priority - wanting to eradicate child poverty. But his Government's last Budget had little tangible action to further that agenda. Having already confirmed to The Scotsman in January that the flagship Scottish Child Payment will not increase further, the Scottish Government is under pressure to use the Programme for Government to prove it has more ideas to make a difference. Help for business Kickstarting economic growth has been a key theme of the Labour government - with questionable success so far. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Swinney has suggested that part of the justification for bringing forward his Programme for Government is to help support businesses amid global economic uncertainty not helped by Donald Trump's trade tariffs.
The Herald Scotland
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Young Women's Movement calls for re-introduction of Misogyny Bill
However, Scotland's national organisation for young women and girls' rights urged Scottish ministers to think again after conducting their own research which included insights into experiences of misogyny. The Young Women's Movement report, Status of Young Women in Scotland 2024 –2025, was conducted through an online survey between September and December last year as well as focus groups on various issues. Status of Young Women in Scotland 2024-25 report (Image: contributed) Out of over 600 young women aged between 16-35, the reported top concerns in regards to their rights were around safety and ending violence against women and girls, access to adequate healthcare, and fair and equal pay. The research found that young women are anxious about a regression in their rights, citing changes in society, culture and politics which make their rights feel more precarious than ever. Read more: Specific concerns raised included the rise of far-right politics and 'increasing misogyny and the radicalisation of young men online' as well as 'the persistence and prevalence of gender-based violence'. Out of those surveyed, a total of one in two said they do not trust politicians and decision-makers to represent them and advocate for their human rights, and 58% feel they have no say in decisions about how Scotland is run. The findings have led to the Young Women's Movement chief executive calling on the Scottish Government 'to prioritise young women's rights' by re-introducing the Human Rights (Scotland) Bill and the proposed Misogyny Bill. The Young Women's Movement believes if both bills were reintroduced, this would "intensify efforts to combat misogyny" and "improve young women's access to justice". Jenni Snell, CEO of The Young Women's Movement, said: "With half of young women distrusting politicians to represent them, and more than that feeling that their voices are not heard in decisions about how Scotland is run, this research makes clear that young women in Scotland are being let down by those with the most power." Young women rated public transport as the place they feel most unsafe, with one saying: 'I often feel unsafe in public places. Every woman I know has at a minimum been harassed by men on public transport; in their place of work or education; on the street, etc.' One anonymous survey respondent wrote: 'Women experience sexual and gender-based violence at catastrophic rates, and it has been extremely harmful on our physical and mental health and wellbeing, safety in our own homes, ability to access healthcare, and ability to achieve justice.' Jenni Snell, CEO of The Young Women's Movement (Image: ELLIE MORAG) Discussing action she would like to see following the findings, Ms Snell: 'Over the next year we will be furthering our work with the Scottish Parliament and elected officials to create pathways for young women to better participate in politics and democratic processes, especially in the lead up to the 2026 election, but we cannot do this work alone. 'We are calling on Scottish Government to prioritise young women's rights by reintroducing the Human Rights (Scotland) Bill and the proposed Misogyny (Scotland) Bill; intensifying efforts to combat misogyny in educational settings, workplaces and online; improving young women's access to justice by reforming the legal aid system; and meaningfully engaging and listening to young women's voices to ensure their needs are considered when policies are created." John Swinney's Programme for Government last year did not include his government's flagship Human Rights Bill which aimed to bring international human rights treaties into Scots law and make them enforceable. The government said it intends to bring forward this bill but it will not be brought forward this parliamentary term. More recently, however, on Friday, it emerged his government is dropping the Misogyny Bill as the government claims it has "insufficient time" for it to be finalised this parliamentary session following the Supreme Court judgment. This proposed bill would have provided protection to women and girls at risk of gender-based violence in Scotland, with new laws against misogynistic harassment and behaviour, stirring up hatred against women and girls and protections from abusive communications. Mr Swinney has insisted that instead of bringing forward specific laws to tackle misogyny – the dislike of, contempt for, or prejudice against women – SNP ministers will instead seek to amend existing hate crime legislation within this parliamentary term. However, a legal academic has told The Herald this may offer a "much more blunt" form of hate crime framework which would not include "certain nuances" within the Scottish Government-commissioned Misogyny report from leading lawyer Helena Kennedy KC into misogyny in Scotland. The most recent Status of Young Women in Scotland report is the seventh in the series released by The Young Women's Movement, and marks 10 years since the publication of the first of these. Ms Snell added: 'We were incredibly inspired by young women's stories through this research and their resilience in the face of adversity, and I'd like to thank every young woman who took the time to speak with us about their experiences of human rights in Scotland."
