Thread by @DeanMThomson

A fourth thread in my series calling out #Holyrood2021 election half truths, misleading nonsense & lies.

I'm focusing on a misleading claim by @theSNP about 'ending period poverty' for women. Also questioning just how 'committed' they are to improving the lives of women.
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I want to focus specifically on the highlighted claim, where the SNP are claiming credit for 'ending period poverty' for women.

This features as part of a wider claim about 'improving the life chances of women' more generally.
Date of their tweet was April 2nd 2021.
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➡️On ending period poverty for women

The heart of this boast by the SNP is the 'Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill'; which was unanimously passed into law in November 2020.

Unanimous! Great, so the SNP deserve the credit you might think...but wait...
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The 'Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill' was originally introduced not by the SNP, but by Labour's @MonicaLennon7. She has been campaigning to end period poverty since 2016.

And there is more...
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The initial reaction of the SNP was to oppose her bill. So they're seeking credit now for a bill their initial reaction was to oppose.

It would never have happened without Ms Lennon in the first place.
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Indeed the SNP only later came round to backing the bill after proposing several of their own amendments.

Ms Lennon's bill was already gathering cross-party support, compelling the SNP to finally back it. That is how the bill gained unanimous support.
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So, if anyone deserves the credit for aiding the battle of 'ending period poverty' I'd say it is Scottish Labour's Monica Lennon.
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➡️On the wider point about 'improving the life chances for women'

How can the SNP seriously claim to be committed to improving women's life chances when they excluded women from the protections of the Hate Crime & Public Order bill?'
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Even SNP MSPs have been making this same criticism:

SNP MSP Joan McAlpine: "It will seem bizarre to many people that men who enjoy cross-dressing are protected from hate crime, but women are not."

Why were women excluded from protections of Hate Crime legislation?
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Briefly, why does it matter that women are excluded from the legislation?

Women are victims of male crimes of aggression. Only a fool or someone malicious would dispute this.

Also, women are statistically more likely to be victims of crime than its perpetrators.
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As a gay, I experience the constant low-level cultural background white-noise of casual homophobia which can occasionally be threatening, so I empathise with a female reality of constant low-level harassment, sexism & aggression (often not rising to levels of criminality)
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Sources:

'Period poverty: Scotland first in world to make period products free'
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla…

'Alex Massie: A bad week to pass law that ignores women'
thetimes.co.uk/article/alex-m…
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➡️You can find part three of my series on the SNP's dodgy affordable housing claims here:

https://twitter.com/DeanMThomson/status/1375925332939841537?s=20

➡️Part two can be read here:

https://twitter.com/DeanMThomson/status/1375166528518287370?s=20

➡️Part One here:

https://twitter.com/DeanMThomson/status/1374724459563716608?s=20