Thread. Regardless about where you stand on Boris & misleading Parliament, something gnawing at me: why no outrage at a whole range of Covid-related misleading statements at the time? Remember when we all discovered that vaccine helped indivs but didn't prevent transmission? 1/4 Yet despite knowing facts on transmission, politicians on all sides supported sacking care home staff who refused to have vaccine & job or jab enthusiasts misled public by claiming it would protect others. So many examples: made up facts re rule of 6/safe numbers at funerals 2/4

I spoke about the Schools Bill yesterday - on attendance rates falling in schools… (1/3) The government’s response is mass data gathering and punitive fines. But as politicians locked down schools for over 2 years, it’s no surprise that some pupils have concluded that school doesn’t matter… (2/3)

🪡We in House of Lords were only scheduled to discuss December's Plan B regulations on the very day of their abolition. So much for scrutiny... 1/5 🪡While some of us might want to celebrate now Plan B is dumped, I am still nervous about a divisive hangover from Covid passes, which divide society into vaccinated and unvaccinated - the latter treated as unclean and a threat... 2/5

A long night tonight discussing the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. I made a speech earlier, on why the introduction of new hate crime based on misogyny (and *perceived* offence) will do nothing for women's safety... 1/4 The push to make misogyny a hate crime won't help us understand data as fact, but will only tell us how alleged victims feel about their experiences - this broadens out the understanding of what 'misogyny' includes, rather than making things more clear... 2/4

🪡 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)

🪡 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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

A late-night speech yesterday on an amendment in the #DomesticAbuseBill relating to smacking and children. There has been a rather grotesque conflation of 'battery' and 'smacking' - suggesting that every parent who smacks their child is committing a heinous criminal act... (1/4) Violence and abuse against children is already against the law. Blurring the lines between what is intended to harm and injure and what is intended to discipline out of love is hugely damaging for families and denies the importance of intent and context...(2/4) #DomesticAbuseBill

A few things I wanted to say but no time, that genuinely baffle me. A short thread. Prime Minister has stressed data not dates (although I confess those dates are firmly written in my dairy). But if they insist on data, there's lots of good news (see tomorrrow's front pages). 1/5

https://twitter.com/Fox_Claire/status/1366486750420496390

There's robust data on vaccine roll-out, which is way ahead of original timetable. The data on efficacy of even one jab is brilliant news; cases, hospitalisations and ICU beds are falling quite dramatically. Yet too many in SAGE/ Gov seem to want us to ignore THAT data. Why? 2/5

Yesterday, I argued that this Maternity Allowances Bill is a step forward for women’s rights (even if too narrowly focused on women in Westminster). But the words ‘she’, ‘her’ or ‘women’ don’t appear once in the bill... (1/4) One person suggested it was fine - a bit like saying ‘chairperson’. But giving birth is not like chairing a meeting. These language rows are not technical issues - we have to consider the political context. These new language codes are forcing us to engage in doublespeak... (2/4)

Tonight, I tried to remind the majority of Lords declaring they will do whatever is necessary to remove part 5 from the #InternalMarketBill, that this was an affront to democracy... (1/5) I pointed out that the majority in the unelected Lords seem happy to give preference to binding sovereignty of an international treaty over honouring democratic sovereighty at home... (2/5)

On peerages: a short thread. Thank you all so much for many wonderfully generous messages of support. It seems positive that the historic significance of Brexit has been recognised via so many of those offered peerages. It feels as much a recognition of voters as individuals 1/ I'm thrilled that many people I admire are joining #TheLords, especially some feisty women: @GiselaStuart @CatharineHoey @MorrisseyHelena. The irony is: having more democrats in the unelected #HoL at least might make the cause of democratic accountability harder to side-line 2/

THREAD @DontDivideUsNow & EDUCATION: Last week a bunch of us issued a statement entitled Don't Divide Us. The response was overwhelming. One big concern that many brought up, is that schools seem to be reorganising curriculum & teacher CDP around divisive identity politics 1/

https://twitter.com/Fox_Claire/status/1280864968645230592

Parents/ carers involved in home schooling due to lockdown, have been sent letters/resources with instructions on how to teach issue of ‘race’ & are understandably concerned at the over-reach by schools. This has caused worries that changes are happening with no public debate. 2/

Just a short thread on students following Rhodes statue's fall and grim harassment of Hitchens: don't blame student activists; they are kicking an open door. It's acquiescence of university authorities which should worry people 1/

https://twitter.com/flojack300/status/1273530421154910210

Very many students - maybe most - (and this is not a code for white - but of all ethnicities) - do not go along with these trends. They fear speaking out - anyone who dares challenge is renounced, not just by peers, often by their own tutors who theorise/preach white privilege 2/

Much to mull over from @matthewsyed on dangers of blame game and online experts & lessons from Sweden: "A lack of dissent is one reason disasters in totalitarian regimes, historically at least, have tended to exert a greater death toll... 1/5

https://twitter.com/matthewsyed/status/1246710076104114177

"I can’t help thinking that some scientists have learnt that in a time of hysteria you can gain a huge profile by using inflammatory language. Call it the Piers Morganisation of public discourse, a world of manufactured confidence and synthetic outrage". Bravo @matthewsyed 2/5

Thread on controversy re #NazaninZaghariRatcliffe debate at @Europarl_EN : Do you think the EU should have a foreign policy as though a nation state? In the context of talk of an EU army & Empire? Me neither. 1/7 Do you think the tragic plight of #NazaninZaghariRatcliffe should be cynically used by those who want to strengthen unaccountable EU intervention on world stage at expense of democratically elected national governments? Me neither. 2/7

1/4 A THREAD: People on here keep asking if I am outraged by Ann Widdecombe’s views on homosexuality. As if this was new info. FGS I follow politics. I even watched #CBB. 2/4 Guess what, as grown up women, we both already know we don’t agree with each other on wide range of issues. But we do agree that this is a seismic moment for democracy. We both stood as @brexitparty_uk MEPs to defend it.