Latest news with #Sturgeon
ITV News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- ITV News
National park: 'Decision to ditch plan is helpful to SNP opponents in Galloway and West Dumfries'
On the steps outside Bute House in summer 2021, a deal between the SNP and the Greens was hailed as a marriage made in heaven. Nicola Sturgeon – remember her? – said it would provide stability and, crucially, a shared policy platform for the coming five years. One of the most eye-catching plans was for a new national park with Galloway eventually being chosen as the location. But, much like the park plan, the Bute House Agreement collapsed when Humza Yousaf sacked the Greens from the Scottish government in a bid to strengthen his position as Ms Sturgeon's successor. The political divorce cost him his job. But it did strengthen the hand of John Swinney when he replaced Mr Yousaf as First Minister. Why? Well, there was a feeling amongst large chunks of the SNP that the previously mentioned shared policy platform was letting 'the green tail wag the yellow dog' and proving unpopular with voters. And a series of policies have been dumped or kicked into the long grass since Ms Sturgeon left office, including the deposit return scheme, gender reforms, highly protected marine areas, the expansion of heat pumps being installed in homes, and now the new national park. You'll probably have noticed something. All of those schemes have a decidedly green tinge to them. In fact, all of them were previously seen as big wins for the Scottish Greens in government. It's a bit like dividing up belongings after a break-up. There are some things that end up in the bin. And the SNP has decided to get rid of everything that reminds them of their former partners while they try and woo the electorate. Remember, support for the party has fallen by more than 10 percentage points over the last five years even if it remains ahead of its rivals in Holyrood polls. Strategists at the top of the Scottish government believe the policies that have been shelved over the last year were at best divisive, at worst unpopular. And Mr Swinney – who as deputy first minister was both key to negotiating the Bute House Agreement and central to its running – is looking to only take forward plans that will prove less controversial with less than a year to go until the Holyrood election. See the scrapping of peak rail fares (which was, in fact, pushed heavily by the Greens) and the reinstatement of some form of winter fuel payment for every pensioner in Scotland, even if it is not universally at the same level as previous UK government payments. It's essentially the same tactic used by Sir Keir Starmer in the run-up to the general election: get out of your opponents' way while they are making mistakes and don't make any of your own. Since Labour arrived in power at Westminster, it is the prime minister who has been regularly shooting himself in the foot. Having said all of that, the decision to ditch Galloway National Park is perhaps most helpful to the SNP's direct opponents in the Galloway and West Dumfries seat, the Scottish Conservatives. Contests in the seat have been incredibly tight between the two and the rise of Reform UK has left a good few Tories worried that this could be the year the seat turns yellow. But there would have been another disruptor providing Conservative candidate Finlay Carson with a headache had the park gone ahead. I have it on very good authority that an explicitly anti-park candidate, who is a well-known figure locally, would have stood on that singular platform, almost certainly drawing support away from Mr Carson in the process. John Swinney has decided the SNP is much better served as a political singleton. In the process, he has dumped not just the Greens but also some of their most controversial policies, of which Galloway National Park is just the latest.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Nicola Sturgeon hits back at Scottish Tories amid 'endorsing antisemitism' row
The former first minister invited MSP to a showing of award-winning Bosnian-British director Samir Mehanovic's new film My Hijab, My Choice on Tuesday evening. The event was billed as the Scottish premiere of the film which looks at Muslim women's experiences of racism for wearing a hijab in the UK. However, the Tories have criticised the film screening, and Sturgeon's decision to back it, based on past comments from Mehanovic, The Times reported. The director urged Ukrainians to 'drop the guns' after the Russian invasion in 2022, and in 2021 accused Israel's government of using the 'same tactics as Hitler's Nazis'. READ MORE: By-election hustings chaos as Tory candidate walks out over Labour no-show That statement meets the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which controversially includes criticism of the state of Israel within its scope, including defining as antisemitic any 'comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis'. The director has also previously criticised Sturgeon's SNP while she was leader, suggesting there was 'Stalinism' at the top of the party, a claim also made by figures such as former SNP MP Joanna Cherry. Mehanovic rejected any suggestion he is anti-Ukraine, anti-Sturgeon, or antisemitic – saying there had been an attempt 'to discredit my work by pulling isolated comments out of context'. Sturgeon hit back at the Tories' attack on his film screening, saying it was 'glaringly obvious' that she would not agree with everything the director had ever said. Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon (Image: PA) She told The Times: 'I am hosting the event because of the important issues raised in the film. It tells the stories of five young Muslim women who speak powerfully about the racism and Islamophobia they have experienced throughout their lives, but also about the positive contributions they are making to life in the UK. 'I am MSP for the constituency with the biggest Muslim population in Scotland and the testimonies of these women are all too typical of the experiences many of my constituents encounter on a regular basis. 'It is a film everyone should watch and it would fit the Tories better if they engaged with the substance of the film and the issues that it raises.' READ MORE: UK Government envoy visits Israel despite suspending trade talks Scottish Tory MSP Annie Wells had said: 'Nicola Sturgeon has once again displayed her poor judgment by sponsoring the premiere of a movie by such a controversial figure. 'As well as accusing Nicola Sturgeon of corruption and comparing her to Stalin, it's clear this director has some extreme and abhorrent views. So it's embarrassing that a former first minister is tacitly endorsing them.' Mehanovic said: 'I am not antisemitic, I do not support anti-Ukrainian propaganda, and I am not anti-Nicola Sturgeon. These claims are entirely unfounded and distort both my personal values and professional record. 'Attempts to discredit my work by pulling isolated comments out of context are not only dishonest, but undermine the very principles of free and open discourse that we should all protect.'
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
MSPs express 'deep concern' over trans toilet ruling
Toilets designated as male- or female-only are now to be interpreted as meaning biological sex, Johnstone said, while the parliament will increase its existing provision of gender-neutral facilities which will be open to anyone, in an effort to ensure 'confidence, privacy and dignity' for staff and visitors. But the letter, based on legal advice from the Good Law Project, argues that Holyrood has misinterpreted the supreme court judgment. It goes on: 'The designation suggested in the guidance issued is that male and female spaces will be applied 'by biological sex'. We would argue that the application of this is not only deeply invasive – it raises immediate questions about enforcement. We ask, non-rhetorically, on what basis are staff expected to prove their sex to use a toilet?' READ MORE: Sturgeon: 'If trans lives become almost impossible to live then law has to change' Update on winter fuel payments to more pensioners expected in coming weeks SNP ministers reaction to reset 'bizarre' given independence in EU aim The letter says this approach 'risks exposing [trans people], and anyone who may be gender non-conforming, to humiliation, harassment or worse – all under the guise of 'clarity'.' The letter, which is now available online for other MSPs and parliamentary staff to add their names to, has already been signed by a number of former Scottish government ministers including Elena Whitham and Emma Roddick, the deputy leader of the Scottish National party, Keith Brown, and the leaders of the Scottish Lib Dems and the Scottish Greens, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie. It has the support of MSPs from four of the five main parties at Holyrood, including the former Labour leadership contender Monica Lennon. Hannah Bardell, the former SNP MP who organised the letter working with the Good Law Project, said she expected more Holyrood politicians and staff to sign up now that the concerns had been made public. 'I've spoken to many MSPs who feel huge concern about this decision. I hope this can move the debate forward and that the corporate body can rethink their decision just like other organisations have done,' she told the Guardian. 'It's very sad that the question of how trans people live their lives has become so toxic that the very people who represent them feel nervous about signing a letter like this.' The decision leaves Holyrood out of step with other parliaments across the UK, with current policies at Westminster, Stormont and the Senedd remaining unchanged until final guidance has been handed down by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. That guidance is now expected to be delayed until after the summer to allow for further consultation. A spokesman for the Scottish Parliament said this was an interim stance and further practical changes may be needed in light of an updated code of practice from the EHRC. He said: 'We will therefore consult with staff, their trade union representatives, members and other stakeholders, including equalities groups who work regularly and closely with people with protected equalities characteristics, at an appropriate point.'
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Sturgeon: Law may need to change after Supreme Court ruling
Her intervention comes weeks after she told reporters in Holyrood that the lives of transgender people are at risk of being made 'unliveable' in the aftermath of the judgment. Ms Sturgeon was speaking at the How the Light Gets In festival in Hay-on-Wye yesterday and cited comments made last week by Baroness Hale of Richmond, the first female president of the Supreme Court, who said the April judgment had been 'misinterpreted'. Ms Sturgeon insisted the Supreme Court judgment in April had said 'what the law is, there is no gainsaying that'. READ MORE: Ruling could 'stoke culture wars' against trans people SNP ministers reaction to reset 'bizarre' given independence in EU aim Hundreds of care staff to go on strike over £38 million government U turn LGBTQ+ centre offering 'safe space' could be opened in Glasgow 'It's time for Scotland's politicians to act like we are in a housing emergency' But she added that it was for politicians to 'decide what the law should be or has to be'. 'That judgment, I think, has been massively overinterpreted in terms of some of the immediate reactions to it," she said. 'But if it is the case that the judgment means we have to move to a situation where trans lives are almost impossible to live then I'm sorry but the law has to change because that is not an acceptable way to be.' Since the judgment the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published an interim update on what it means for the operation of single-sex spaces. It states that in places like hospitals, shops and restaurants, trans women should not be permitted to use women's facilities. The Scottish Parliament earlier this month banned trans gender people from using toilets in their acquired gender in the building. Trans people and their supporters hit back saying many fear using toilets of their birth sex. Dylan Hamilton, a trans man who works at Holyrood as an MSP staffer, said the policy would impact him, calling the rule change 'a personal attack on my dignity that I will have to experience every day'. Speaking to journalists in Holyrood for the first time about the landmark court ruling earlier this month Ms Sturgeon raised concerns about interim guidance issued by the EHRC. The former First Minister said it was not inevitable that the judgment would make the lives of transgender people 'impossibly difficult', but there was a danger that certain interpretations could put transgender rights at risk. 'If that is the case, then yes, it would be my view that the law as it stands needs to be looked at,' she told reporters at the Scottish Parliament. Ms Sturgeon has been one of the UK most prominent supporters of transgender rights, with her Scottish Government having introduced gender recognition reforms that would have made it easier for Scots to change their legally recognised sex. The reforms were ultimately blocked by the former UK Government. The Supreme Court judgment in April, which ruled that sex is defined by biological sex under equality law, followed years of legal wranglings and had effectively been fought for by the campaign group, For Women Scotland. Ms Sturgeon's views on the impact the court ruling's interpretation on the trans gender community have been echoed by the Scottish Government. Social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said fears trans people feel around using single-sex spaces have been "aggravated" by the EHRC interim guidance. Ms Sturgeon's comments were criticised by Susan Smith of For Women Scotland, who secured the victory in the Supreme Court against the Scottish government. 'It would be quite ironic, although not unexpected, if the first female First Minister was resolutely sticking to the notion that biological sex is some nebulous concept,' she told The Times. "There has indeed been a great deal of misrepresentation of the Supreme Court ruling, but the most egregious has come from trans activists who have spun the most outrageous interpretations." Dr Lucy Hunter, of Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, a policy analysis group which supported the For Women Scotland Supreme Court challenge, told The Times the 'reasoning and conclusions of the Supreme Court are easy to follow'. 'Organisations faced with undoing the effect of years of poor advice would do best to follow the example of the Scottish parliament, and take steps straightaway to comply with the law,' Ms Hunter said. 'They need to read the judgment, obtain their own legal advice and ignore the former First Minister, whose contributions on this subject remain as unhelpful as ever.' Ms Sturgeon, whose memoir Frankly is due to be released this August, also spoke about the way she had been treated as a woman in politics.
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Nicola Sturgeon says Supreme Court ruling 'massively misinterpreted'
The former first minister was speaking at the How the Light Gets In festival in Hay-on-Wye on Saturday, and said she would 'always be an ally of the trans community'. The Sunday Times reports that Sturgeon told the festival the Supreme Court judgment set out 'what the law is, there is no gainsaying that'. But she added it was the job of politicians to 'decide what the law should be or has to be'. READ MORE: Zarah Sultana: UK halting Israel trade talks is 'irrelevant' We told how Lady Hale, the first female president of the Supreme Court, said the ruling had been 'misinterpreted', and that there was 'nothing in that judgment that says that you can't have gender-neutral loos'. In the weeks following the judgment, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released interim guidance that banned transgender people from using the bathroom of their acquired gender. The guidance was described as 'cruel', 'authoritarian' and 'segregation'. Trans women were subsequently banned from playing women's football and cricket. Sturgeon referenced Hale's comments, adding: 'That judgment, I think, has been massively overinterpreted in terms of some of the immediate reactions to it. 'But if it is the case that the judgment means we have to move to a situation where trans lives are almost impossible to live then I'm sorry but the law has to change because that is not an acceptable way to be.' The Glasgow MSP previously told journalists in Holyrood that it 'doesn't make a single woman any safer' to make trans people's lives 'almost unliveable'. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that under the Equality Act 2010 a woman is defined by 'biological sex' and does not include a transgender woman with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). This decision went against how the law had been interpreted across public and private bodies in the UK for the past 20 years. READ MORE: Fears 'rigged' Scottish Labour voting system boxes out left-wing MSPs Sturgeon, who is standing down at the next Holyrood election, said that despite abuse she had received she would 'always' be an ally to the trans community 'no matter how difficult that might be'. 'Many of those who are on the other side [of the issue] say it is all about protecting women,' she said. 'Isn't it ironic that I have probably had more misogynistic abuse as a result of this issue than on any other issue in my entire political career. Go figure.' For Women Scotland, an anti-trans campaign group who took the gender case to the Supreme Court, originally after challenging the inclusion of trans women on gender quotas for public boards in Scottish Government guidance, criticised Sturgeon's comments. (Image: PA) Susan Smith told The Times: 'It would be quite ironic, although not unexpected, if the first female first minister was resolutely sticking to the notion that biological sex is some nebulous concept,' she said. 'There has indeed been a great deal of misrepresentation of the Supreme Court ruling, but the most egregious has come from trans activists who have spun the most outrageous interpretations.' Sturgeon was first minister when the Scottish Parliament passed its Gender Recognition Reform Act in 2022, which would allow transgender people to self-identify and simplified the requirements to acquire a GRC, before it was blocked by Westminster from becoming law.
