1./ Why is the Hate Crime Bill such a crucial test of the health of Scottish democracy? Last night a plethora of lavishly funded lobby groups spoke out. They were outraged, they said. Cue: tippy tappy keyboards as they wrote separate but identical emails to opposition leaders👇
2./ The party leaders should ignore these histrionics and oppose this embarrassingly ill thought through Bill. And here's why. First off, the tone of these emails is revealing. Words like 'disgrace' and 'shocked beyond measure' are hyperbolic. Then there's the threat...
3./ Or the hint of one. For too long this cadre of LGBTQ+ lobbyists - with over-lapping leaderships and often shared resources- has dangled a sword of Damocles over our politicians. Comply with our ever-evolving wishes, they demand, or we'll release ....the H-bomb!
4./ This is the accusation of Homophobia, or it's twistier sister, Transphobia. You can catch the hint of an H-bomb in the menacing line that says if parties don't support the Bill, "this will send the message that all 3 do not care about tackling hate crime in our communities".
5./ Mmm. Are you smelling what I'm smelling? Who doesn't care about tackling hate crime in our communities...except .... HOMOPHOBES!! And yet, while Davidson, Rennie and Leonard can be accused of many things...homophobia? Oh do me a favour.
6./ Holyrood is so gay half the nightclubs in Edinburgh have gone to the wall; their clientele now too busy parsing the details of statutory instruments. Long after homophobia WAS actually a crippling part of gay people's experience these groups weaponise it to close down debate.
7./ Now they're even exploiting it to try to get highly suspect legislation through. So for no other reason than their email threats and tone were completely out of order the Opposition should do what it's supposed to: and judge the Bill by its merits. And its dangers.
8./ At the heart of the Bill is the offence of "stirring up hatred". @HumzaYousaf defined this as: "it contributes to a social atmosphere in which discrimination is accepted as normal". Surely that wouldn't include a certain, notable recent essay?👇jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-r…
9. Sure enough, campaign group @glaad 's response was:- "JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans. In 2020, there is no excuse for targeting trans people." hollywoodreporter.com/news/glaad-res…
10./ If Rowling's essay is "targetting trans people" is THAT the same as "contributes to a social atmosphere in which discrimination etc"? Here's @MunroeBergdorf linking Rowling's essay to white supremacy, colonialism and genocide. That escalated fast.👇
11./ Here's Katy Montgomerie denouncing Rowling saying her stance may "ruin tens of thousands of people’s lives including my own, and put trans people in danger". Does THAT contribute to a social atmosphere...etc, etc, etc?👇
medium.com/@KatyMontgomer…
medium.com/@KatyMontgomer…
12./ It's not just @jk_rowling. Those brave women at @ForwomenScot or @GlasgowMake are regularly denounced as "transphobic" for defending women and their single sex spaces. Are they contributing to Humza's ill-defined "social atmosphere in which discrimination is accepted..."?
13./ If this Bill is passed expect to see them and many others in court. That's because the Bill serves as an open invitation to any self-righteous bully who wants to silence opinions with which they disagree; like the pompous and entitled writers of those menacing LGBT+ emails.
14./ Critics would perhaps be less worried if we didn't have proof that influential members of the SNP already like to throw around accusations about hate speech. Here's Humza's colleague @mrjohnnicolson doing exactly that accusing @ALLIANCELGB of being transphobic.👇 
15./ He even urged @policescotland to follow up his bonkers claim we're funded by the Far Right (they didn't and we're not). Our crime: opposing the unscientific notion of 'gender identity' as a threat to children's mental health, and the rights of gay people and women.
16./ Nicolson is living proof of how the Hate Crime Bill is open to abuse. Virtue signalling, self-satisified Holy Willies - who are so intellectually lazy they're unwilling to make the effort of engaging in debate- are bound to exploit it to try to silence their opponents.
17./ If nothing motivates the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament to rise to this challenge, Nicolson's arrogance should. Feminists and rebel gays may be in his sights now. If the Bill passes it could be Unionists or people of faith or some other group he despises.
18./ That's why this Bill isn't just a threat to free speech or opinionated minorities, it threatens the health of our democracy. For a party like the SNP that loves to wrap itself in a virtue signalling collage the Bill bestows yet more power to control the terms of debate.
19./ The Bill is also so damn un-Scottish. Didn't David Hume teach us that nothing considered sacred should be beyond our examination or our flat out scabrous mockery? Ahh, but no doubt we'll be assured this sort of law is all the rage in Malta or Riga or Lichtenstein.
19./ Who cares? Isn't the point of our Parliament that WE decide what suits us and our character? Perhaps it's time for the Opposition to channel the true spirit of wonderfully argumentative, 'thrawn' Scotland and dump this po-faced Bill while we still have the chance.
