Latest news with #TimHopkins
The Herald Scotland
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
There never was a right for a man to enter a woman's changing room
Of course, Equality Network was itself free to intervene but chose not to. Mr Hopkins is in a better position to explain this failure but I'd suggest its unwillingness to accept that self-declaration of sex was firmly off the table at the outset hampered any legal argument its members were prepared to accept. Finally, there was no human rights breach. Had there been so, the Supreme Court would have been obliged to issue a declaration of incompatibility. It was never a 'right' for any man to enter women's changing rooms or other spaces and the absurdity of such an argument was laid bare in the court's painstakingly detailed judgment. Anyone now asking the UK Government to amend the Equality Act has the hopefully-impossible task of explaining exactly why basic human rights for women should be removed. In the meantime, women such as Sandie Peggie and Fiona McDonald ("Activist sues own union over gender beliefs",The Herald, July 26) will bravely keep holding employers and unions to account, despite unwarranted and ridiculous 'anti-trans' slurs. All power to their elbow. Trina Budge, Director, For Women Scotland, Edinburgh. Read more letters Blame the activists Tim Hopkins took over a third of a page on Tuesday to spout utter drivel. He talks utter nonsense about the Supreme Court judges not being properly informed, ignoring the wishes of Parliament (and, God forbid, Hansard), about them knowing better what the wording of various pieces of legislation mean, about ignoring other pieces of legislative interpretation, and, almost unbelievably, stating that their judgment contained a "staggeringly naive claim". I suppose we should all be glad that we have the likes of Mr Hopkins, who is clearly a much better-read and learned man than any of our highly skilled judges, to interpret the law. As far as I am aware the trans population in this country is tiny. They should of course have the same and equal rights as the rest of us, that is not in question. They do however appear to be disproportionately represented by a large number of very loud activists. I'm sure Mr Hopkins will know many of them from his past life. Without them the trans community would probably not be in this predicament. Finally, he wants Parliament to "urgently amend the Equality Act... to allow trans people to continue to live their lives in peace and privacy". Where will that leave women, Mr Hopkins? Gregor McKenzie, East Kilbride. Privacy is theirs to own Tim Hopkins pleads for "Parliament to allow trans people to continue to live their lives in peace and (where they wish) privacy". There is nothing and never was anything to stop them doing just that. An issue has been raised that never needed to see the light of day. All it has done is create division and dissension. That was all it was intended to do and the trans community were the chosen vehicle. Politicians, in attempts to unravel the Gordian knot that is humanity, find themselves entangled within it. The learned gentlemen of the bench attempted to offer clarity on what was established in law and on the statute books. In contrast to incoherent interpretations delivered by the political class, the Supreme Court judgment was concise, almost simplistic. However, the Gender Recognition Act of 2004 grants provision to the transgender community and the Equality Act of 2010 protection, thus logic supports a claim that it "would not be disadvantageous to trans people". Mr Hopkins claims: "It is fundamentally changing the situation for trans people across Britain, potentially affecting their access to services from healthcare to toilets." "Potentially" is not reality and the reality is that nothing has changed. Transgender people are perfectly free to live in peace and privacy is theirs to own. Maureen McGarry-O'Hanlon, Jamestown. Ignore this deflection Sandie Peggie, a veteran nurse who was suspended by NHS Fife for objecting to a young, male-born, trans-identifying doctor being in a female changing room while she was undressing, has enjoyed a groundswell of public support. However, NHS Fife's defence lawyer, Jane Russell KC, came up with two witnesses, both former colleagues and friends, who portrayed Ms Peggie in a supposedly new light ("Nurse Peggie recalled after claim she called trans doctor a 'weirdo'", The Herald, July 29). Their evidence mainly consisted of personal characterisations of Ms Peggie based on some politically incorrect banter at some point in the past. Ms Peggie actually didn't deny this and admits that it was in bad taste. Arguably Ms Russell's detailed questions about Sandie Peggie's menstrual flow and who is paying for her case weren't exactly tasteful either. Yet nothing of this should deflect from the matter at hand. What Employment Judge Sandy Kemp will have to decide is not whether Ms Peggie deserved to be suspended due to a supposedly flawed character. He will decide whether NHS Fife acted fairly and lawfully when suspending a nurse for insisting on her sex-based rights, no more, no less. His conclusion will ultimately guide public perception of the case. Regina Erich, Stonehaven. Nurse Sandie Peggie arriving at the employment tribunal in Dundee (Image: PA) End No 10 veto over Scotland I feel that we Scots are now like mushrooms over the constitution: kept in the dark and fed manure, by both politicians and the media. The concept of governance by consent seems to have been discarded by a simplistic numbers game. Labour claims an overwhelming 'mandate' on a third of the votes, while the SNP asserts only an elected majority of them can deliver on independence. Unionist governments lose support in Scotland when they are perceived to have failed and the [[SNP]] suffers the entropy of longevity in office when more things go wrong or are reported as such by an overwhelmingly unionist media. Ireland has the legal right to hold a border poll, when a polling majority is considered in favour of a united Ireland. This should also be the situation in Scotland, and when polling suggests a stable majority in favour of independence, it should happen. An impartial constitutional commission should be set up, by the UK and Scottish governments, to advise whoever is Secretary of State for Scotland on the constitutional etiquette. The days when incumbents of No 10 (especially one who boasts of being leader of the self-proclaimed 'England's Patriotic Party'), hold a veto over Scotland should be consigned to the bin of history. GR Weir, Ochiltree. Let's unite to oust the SNP First Minister Swinney has decided that he has an updated strategy for achieving Scottish independence. More fool him. He may have forgotten that the UK Supreme Court's ruling was quite clear in that there can only be another referendum on such a matter if the UK Government agrees. If the efforts of Alex Salmond and his prodigy Nicola Sturgeon failed to convince the people of Scotland that independence would be to their advantage, then obviously John Swinney is on a hiding to nothing. The Holyrood elections in May 2026 will hopefully see off the [[SNP]] for a very long period. Let us hope that after whatever alliance of political parties is needed to achieve this objective that we will see radical changes put into effect at [[Holyrood]], and also at local council levels. Fellow Scots, let us all be fully supportive of whatever alliance of political parties is needed to oust the SNP. Unless radical changes are put into effect at Holyrood, then the only answer to Scotland's dilemma is to return all political powers to Westminster. Hopefully that will not be the only option. Robert I G Scott, Ceres, Fife.
The Herald Scotland
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
The Supreme Court trans ruling must be challenged
Second, the judgment completely ignored the Hansard records of Parliamentary debates in both the Commons and Lords, which confirm that Parliament intended that the gender recognition process would change a person's legal sex for the purposes of equality legislation. The court decided they knew better what the wording of the Gender Recognition and Equality Acts means, and that those Acts do not implement what Parliament clearly intended and understood them to do. Third, the court apparently ignored the legal requirement, in section 3 of the Human Rights Act, to interpret legislation, if it is possible to do so, compatibly with the European Convention on Human Rights. That Convention has required, for more than two decades, an effective method for trans people to change their legal sex. Fourth, the court made the staggeringly naïve claim in their judgment that it "would not be disadvantageous to trans people". In reality, of course, it already has been. It is fundamentally changing the situation for trans people across Britain, potentially affecting their access to services from healthcare to toilets. And, as we have seen, it is a green light for those who want to further restrict trans people, their voices, and the voices those who stand up for them. Had it not been for the first issue above, perhaps the court may have understood this better. Well done to any union supporting its trans members by pointing out any of these issues. Equality law is reserved to Westminster, so only the UK Government and Parliament can put this situation right. They should urgently amend the Equality Act to restore the original intention of Parliament, to allow trans people to continue to live their lives in peace and (where they wish) privacy. Tim Hopkins, Edinburgh. Read more letters Superyacht no match for Glen Rosa You report today that the Russian oligarch-owned £82 million superyacht La Datcha is moored in James Watt Dock, Greenock ("Superyacht owned by Russian billionaire docks in Greenock", heraldscotland, July 28). How ironic that she is berthed next to the eight years' late, drydocked MV Glen Rosa, which is currently priced at £172.5m and whose crew's terms and benefits of employment outweigh that of the superyacht by a large margin. It was suggested here that the La Datcha should be taken over and given to CalMac but that is unlikely to be attractive as it would require a massive upgrade to the crew accommodation. Peter Wright, West Kilbride. Make our pavements safe We are now controlling pavement parking, so it should be easier for wheelchair users, pram pushers and the like to use them. Indeed our local traffic wardens – called parking attendants for some reason – have been told to prioritise penalties for pavement parking and the misuse of disabled parking bays. However, what about other pavement obstructions such as hedges which overhang by up to 300mm or low garden trees which cause pedestrians to duck? There are also bicycle and scooter users wheeching past pedestrians without any warning. Worst still, there is one furniture removal or delivery company which erects a long ramp from front doors to the tailgate of its lorry, completely blocking the pavement so pedestrians, wheelchair users and pram pushers have to pass the lorry on the road or cross the road twice to avoid the ramp. The so-called parking attendants have the powers to issue fines for illegal parking and some traffic offences, as did the former wardens. Can they not attend to the other transgressions mentioned above? We do not have sufficient police presence on our streets, so the wardens seem the best bet for safeguarding our pavements. I know that the present parking attendants can photograph vehicles and troublesome or abusive vehicle owners so they can surely photograph these other transgressors to provide evidence for police action and prosecution. JB Drummond, Kilmarnock. Hysteria over the Lionesses Perhaps unusually for a Scot living north of the Border, I enjoyed the performances of the Lionesses during the recent football tournament and was happy to see them ultimately prevail against Spain ('England fans celebrate Lionesses' Euro win', The Herald, July 28). That said, however, my enjoyment of their sporting success was tempered by the subsequent media hysteria. An open-topped bus celebration is an expected thank you to the supporters, but do we really need to see the drunken members of the squad screaming at the camera in the post-match hotel party? It brought to mind the 1966 World Cup success of their male counterparts following which the FA generously arranged a free celebratory dinner to which neither the media nor the WAGS were invited. Things have obviously come a long way since then, but surely there's still a place for privacy and an element of decorum? David Edgar, Biggar. The legendary former Hibs manager Eddie Turnbull (Image: SNS) The trials of Turnbull Recent letters on grammar and pronunciation brought to mind a story told in football circles in Edinburgh in the 1970s. Eddie Turnbull was a renowned manager of Hibs who had a very good but intractable centre half, whose name will remain secret because I have forgotten it. Eddie was giving this player a hard time, prompting him to make a written transfer request which contained the following: "Ah umny gonnae play for you nae mair". The player was ever after known as "Big Umny". Incidentally, that Hibs team contained Alan Gordon, a graduate, to whom Turnbull said: "The trouble wi' you, Gordon, is a' your brains are in your heid." John Jamieson, Ayr.
The Herald Scotland
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Why must they insist on this needless humiliation of trans people
Such a change would humiliate trans staff and reveal their trans status to colleagues and other users. It would also likely make other users uncomfortable. Trans staff may have the option of using a gender-neutral toilet, but it seems that not all government buildings have those. And where they are available, they may be a long way across the building. Again, switching to using those may reveal staff's trans status to their colleagues. If this does go to the legal action threatened by Sex Matters, we will see how the Scottish courts decide between the privacy and dignity of trans employees and the insistence by Sex Matters that everyone has to always be treated as the sex on their original birth certificate – effectively an insistence that trans people, as such, do not exist. Of course trans people do exist, and this action by Sex Matters will only serve to make their lives more difficult, without benefiting other users of Scottish Government facilities. Tim Hopkins, Edinburgh. Read more letters We sorely need another McCrone Report on education Zealots who want CCA to cut Israeli links are part of the problem What have they done? We'll all rue the cost of Labour rebels' actions It's not all doom and gloom Reading your front page lead headline today ("Ambulance waiting times rise for critically-ill Scots", The Herald, July 7) I would like to reassure your readers it is not all like this. Three months ago I took a heart attack while using the leisure facilities in a hotel near Glencoe. The hotel staff, the two ambulance crews that appeared – the first in 10 minutes – and the receiving crew at Raigmore were a combined chain of life-saving training and professionalism. Four and a half hours after my incident I was wheeled out of the coronary care unit 80 miles away with two stents fitted. Spirited driving up the A82 and use of modern tech sending my ECG readings direct to the consultant's phone allowed me to bypass the hospital front end and be taken straight for an angiogram. This was not chance. This was thought-through procedures of cardiac professionals working in concert with ambulance crews. I will be forever grateful to the paramedic who worked with me over that two-hour journey keeping me engaged and conscious. John Collins, Port Appin, Argyll. Elle Duffy: Fidelma MKII? Last week and this, the erstwhile sharp and witty Fidelma Cook's columns came to mind when I was reading The Herald Magazine. Why? Because Fidelma uniquely and intimately invited her readers into her life. We felt we were there with her in La France Profonde. Latterly, we journeyed with her through her last months of life, which was an intensely moving and courageous journey. With large glass of the ruby red stuff in hand, Fidelma incisively held forth in her unmistakeable voice on the felicities and infelicities of life. Irreplaceable – that's what she was. We missed her terribly when she left us. I suspect, however, that The Herald has finally found a new and distinctive voice – a very different voice from Fidelma's cutting edge. This is a much gentler voice, a warm and very genuine voice which, week by week, is drawing us ever closer into the writer's life and experiences. I refer to Elle Duffy's down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is columns from the Isle of Rum which have become a 'must read' every weekend. We are constantly drawn into the exigencies and joys of life on Rum, and we can only admire the very practical and philosophical way that Elle and Coinneach have adjusted to their massively-changed lifestyles. They've done what most of us only ever dream of doing. And now we learn that there is a third tiny life interwoven in this unfolding story ("There's no maternity ward on the island...", Herald Magazine, July 5). Congratulations, Elle and Coinneach. A whole new set of challenges to face. We, your readers, look forward to the journey – yet another bumpy challenge on Rum. Thank you for taking us on the ride. Katie Allstaff, Aberfeldy. Columnist Elle Duffy writes in The Herald Magazine about her life on the Isle of Rum (Image: Newsquest) What a racket Why does the BBC employ Martina Navratilova as a commentator? Every year we have to suffer her incoherent ramblings bearing little or no constructive commentary. For such an important occasion as Wimbledon the BBC should have pulled out all the stops and employed its best tennis commentators. Neil Stewart, Balfron. Once is enough Why do players get two serves in tennis? Surely one is enough to get the game started? Alistair Johnston, Hamilton. Brighter outlook Your Shakespearean scholar correspondent Derrick McClure (Letters, July 5) might have brought a glimmer of hope to the general doom and gloom by quoting the whole of the first line of Richard III: " Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious by this sun of York." David Miller, Milngavie. Off the menu Cameron Munro (Letter, July 7) reminds us that not getting a menu in a restaurant is far from being a new thing. I remember being in a restaurant in Paris several years ago. After being shown to my seat I seemed to be waiting an inordinate amount of time to be shown the bill of fayre. When I asked, very politely I may add, if I could see it, the maitre d' replied in the most curt of fashions: "Did sir come here to eat or did he come here to read?" I don't know what it was I had but, to be fair, I do remember it was rather tasty. Gordon Fisher, Stewarton.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Council shuts down popular ocean pool inundated with 'hundreds' of 'toxic' creatures
Swimmers and beachgoers have been told by council to stay away from a popular pool along the Aussie coast after it was inundated by "hundreds" of ocean creatures. The sea hares, a type of marine mollusc, were found congregating at Mereweather Baths in Newcastle, in an incredibly "rare to witness" event. City of Newcastle council said the marine creatures, usually found in rock pools and sea grass beds, have come together to spawn in the pool which is currently closed to visitors to protect the species. A special warning to pet owners was issued to stay away from the area as the molluscs are toxic to dogs — with one vet telling Yahoo News that the animals will exhibit "immediate symptoms" if they've touched one of the molluscs. "This kind of mass aggregation is rare to witness in a public swimming facility, and we're working with marine experts to manage the event with care," a council spokesperson said. "Sea hares may naturally move on with the tides, but we are also preparing to manage their removal sensitively, as well as the egg masses, to protect both the animals and the environment," council said. The pool will be closed until at least Tuesday when council plans to "manually remove" the sea hares before pressure cleaning the pool. "We will be doing this in a careful way to maximise egg survival," council assured residents. Sea hares are soft-bodied marine molluscs that feed mainly on algae. It's understood that the species most prevalent in the pool is the Aplysia juliana, a common coastal species — but there are also a few larger individuals, have been identified as Aplysia sydneyensis. They are larger than a bluebottle, growing up to 30cm long and release a dark purple ink when disturbed. During spawning, they release long strands of yellow egg masses. Once the spawning is complete, the sea hares naturally die. Previously speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Dr Tim Hopkins from Northern Beaches Emergency Vet, who specialises in toxins, urged pet owners to avoid areas after mass beaching events after hundreds of dead sea hares were found along the shores of the Hardy Inlet, near Flinders Bay in Augusta in Western Australia in March. 🕵️♀️ Wild weather finally solves 50-year mystery on popular Aussie beach 🐊 Tracks on Aussie beach lead to 4WD couple's 'spooky' discovery 🪼 Toxic sea creatures 'joined in a line' on Aussie beach spark urgent warning Hopkins said symptoms can come in quite quickly in dogs in particular and the best thing to do if ingestion occurs is to seek out the nearest vet. "You'll see immediate symptoms from them having mouthed the sea hare, and then usually within hours, you're seeing those systemic signs," he told Yahoo. "It's often hard with these inquisitive dogs, they'll find a random washed up item or animal and we do see that [poisonings] sometimes after mass beaching events with jellyfish and other venomous animals. Their toxicity comes from their diet — primarily red and green algae — which contain compounds that can be harmful if ingested. The ink contains a mix of secondary metabolites, some of which can be irritating or toxic to other marine organisms. Symptoms in dogs can include vomiting, drooling, lethargy, tremors, seizures and death in severe cases. While not all sea hares are equally toxic, ingestion is risky, and pet owners are advised to keep their animals away from these creatures when they wash up. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
