🪡 A speech yesterday evening on an amendment to the #PoliceCrimeBill, which would protect women’s single-sex spaces in prisons while also sensitively managing challenges faced by trans prisoners - the government didn’t take the amendment... (1/6)
🪡 I read out a few tweets from people criticising the idea that female prisoners would be asked to share space with male sex offenders who self-identified as women. The MOJ says that the system is working well, I’m not so sure... (2/6)
🪡 Quite often the way in which legislation or advice talks about the situation of single-sex spaces in prisons prioritises the feelings and concerns of trans prisoners, leaving women’s issues as a secondary consideration... (3/6)
🪡 There are serious concerns about how trans prisoners are kept safe & protected - but this is not just a trans issue. Problems with overcrowding etc have led to many prisoners in the male estate suffering violent bullying & sexual assault... (4/6)
🪡 In a tolerant society, people must be free to express their gender identity however they like - but this is not the same as changing your sex. The reason I’m using ‘male’ and ‘female’ is because sex and gender are distinct - biological distinction is important... (5/6)
🪡 The rights of transgender women cannot be used to sideline women’s right to single-sex provision - a hard won right that I as a woman am not prepared to sell out for political expediency. There are surely tolerant solutions to this that don't ditch women's rights. (6/6)
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🪡 A long-ish, angry speech in the Lords on #PlanB - and on the fact that official opposition have failed to oppose the government's introduction of further restrictions and #COVIDPassports... (1/5)
🪡 Issues like free social association, liberty and personal sovereignty are crucial - not some abstract notion to be dismissed as too many still do... (2/5)
🪡 Other peers raised the lack of efficacy about vaccine passports, or asked Qs about how serious Omicron is to health beyond high transmission, I wanted to stress the real collateral damage to a free society - when illiberal measures are a first, instead of last, resort... (3/5)
A speech on hate speech (and #freespeech) last Friday in the Lords. Too many still argue that a defence of free speech is just a cynical means of allowing offensive views to be promoted... (1/4)
Hate (like offence) is subjective, and can be used to deligitimise debate. This has also become a problem in relation to politics - with sceptics of government policy on climate change called 'climate deniers' or people who question vaccine mandates as 'anti-vaxxers'... (2/4)
The category of hate is often used to shut down views we don't like. We can't take 'hate speech' at face value - it has become too broad and too overused to be any decent means of collecting date (as its supporters claim)... (3/4)
A long-ish speech on non-crime hate incidents today in the Lords. No one wants to look like they're being soft on 'hate', but this kind of non-crime 'incident' has a chilling effect in the form of self censorship... (1/4)
Hate crime can be incredibly subjective, and awareness-raising initiatives around reporting can encourage people to label all bad behaviour as criminal. (Much like the police ad van which trawled shopping centres warning people that being offensive could be a crime)... (2/4)
In a bill named the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, it is worrying that the police don't know what IS a crime, and what isn't. The confusion lies in the category of the 'non-crime hate incident' which encourages police overreach... (3/4)
Several of us tonight used what is merely a technical nod through of the Coronavirus Act in the House of Lords to make some comments on the use and abuse of legislation... (1/5)
Whatever about 18 months ago, we're NOT in an emergency now - so emergency legislation becomes a symbol of state power, a threat. There is little scrutiny for new laws (eg mandated vaccines for care workers, & 1000s of NHS staff possibly sacked if they refuse vaccines)... (2/5)
Just when government assures us 'no more general legislation', that the public will be trusted to take responsibility, the threat of CovidPassports returns - despite evidence to suggest they won't work in health terms AND will create a discriminatory two-tier society... (3/5)
The Environment Bill is in the Lords - cue lots of hyperbole re species at risk, nature spoiled, deforestation etc. But who decides what takes priority? Economic development or regulations to protect wildlife/biodiversity?... (1/4)
Conflict is obvious when it comes to eco qualms relating to mass house building and infrastructure. There should be a debate about these things, but cross-party consensus on all things green and a widespread demonisation of any critical thinking as denialism is a problem... (2/4)
There is much to argue over - should the precautionary principle be enshrined in law? Are plastics always bad - what about PPE? And will the Bill penalise developing countries, or are Greens the new neo-colonialists?... (3/4) #EnvironmentBill
My thoughts on amendment 87b to the #DomesticAbuseBill (making misogyny a hate crime). We shouldn't allow the tragedy of last week and the outrage over Sarah Everard's brutal murder to be exploited in a way that won't help women... (1/5)
While it's understandable that many have demanded action, we have to dispassionately consider the details of this law. We've been told that the police are institutionally misogynistic - do we really believe that the police hate women? Has misogyny become a catch-all term?...(2/5)
We're told that this is about accurately collecting data - but how do you quantify or record 'hate' reliably when it is based on the perception of the victim, rather than an understanding of the motive of the accused?...(3/5)