🧵 Defeat & the current state of denial in the SNP has been a long time in the making. Many of the problems that led to the SNP defeat at the general election were readily identifiable years ago. 1/4 In 2020, the membership elected a slate of candidates to the NEC including myself dedicated to addressing those problems & reforming the party. Our efforts to do so were deliberately thwarted by Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell & their acolytes. 2/4

🧵 The difficulty with all of this which otherwise seem very reasonable, is that it ignores the particularly heated nature of the debate around gender identity theory in which one side of the debate is often very keen to completely silence the other 1/10

https://twitter.com/aileenmcharg/status/1774922618132394443

The English law commission concluded that were stirring up, offences to be extended to cover gender identity without an explicit freedom of expression clause, there was a very real risk of the law being misapplied. 2/10

🧵 My @scotnational column on why I’m introducing a private member’s bill to give the Scottish Parliament the power to reform the role of the Lord Advocate by dividing into two separate jobs 1/5. thenational.scot/politics/24029… One as head of Scotland’s prosecution service the other as a minister of the Scottish Govt & its chief legal adviser. The present Lord Advocate performs both roles & legal scholars & politicians are concerned this may give rise to a conflict of interest. 2/5

🧵Today’s @ScotNational splashes on the issues I have raised about the impact of the Tories #Rwanda bill on the supervisory jurisdiction of the Scottish courts which is both a devolved matter & protected by the Act of Union 1/5

https://twitter.com/scotnational/status/1741370354306609412

Full story here. At my suggestion @scotgov lawyers are now looking at this. A written question from @JNHanvey has clarified what was obvious to me that there was no consultation with the @scotgov. 2/5 thenational.scot/news/24019239.…

🧵For all those claiming the court’s decision to uphold the block on the #GRRA is an attack on #equality let’s just remind ourselves of the sort of safeguards to the bill that were voted down in the Scottish Parliament. 1/4 1. An amendment to prevent known sex offenders from obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC). 2. An amendment to prevent those awaiting trial on sex offences from applying for a GRC (which would have protected rape victims from the humiliation 2/4

🧵@ScotNational piece includes my take on #RutherglenHamiltonWest . “This result should be a major wake up call to those who didn’t listen to Kate Forbes’s advice that “continuity won’t cut it”. 1/7 thenational.scot/news/23840154.… And to those who have devoted their time and energies to pushing anyone who disagrees with them out of our party. Unless we change direction, this result could be repeated across Scotland. 2/7

🧵The #LGBAllianceWin is a victory for #FreedomOfExpression & a defeat for profound #homophobia. In this week’s @ScotNational column I tell @AllianceLGB’s story 1/5. thenational.scot/politics/23639… We’ve heard a lot about toxicity in politics this week.  On Monday I’m in court, again, giving evidence in a criminal trial about frightening threats made against me because of my activism for women’s & #LGB rights. Such threats are a regular occurrence 2/5

Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation means @theSNP will have its 1st leadership election for nearly 20 years.This could be a turning point for the independence movement but only if we honestly appraise where things have gone wrong & radically reset our approach 1/16 We must recognise that the answers are not to be found in one person. Successful leaders build teams, and it is for the next leader and her team to take us forward together. It’s a tall order but it’s doable. 2/16

🧵 Watching this live. Noteworthy that @victor_madrigal has backed off the assertion that international human rights law mandates a system of self-identification of gender. What it mandates is a system of gender recognition.

https://twitter.com/sp_ehrcj/status/1604808832537894913

What he seems to be focusing on is the need not to discriminate against trans people about which I hope we can all agree. However the bill is not confined to trans people it allows anyone to identify as the opposite sex with next to no safeguards.

🧵This is not a legal opinion on the domestic law of Scotland. The case law of the ECHR does not mandate self identification. The system of gender recognition we currently have is within the margin of appreciation allowed by the court 1/11

https://twitter.com/victor_madrigal/status/1603544323127123970

In particular the ECHR has recognised that “stringent” procedures aimed at verifying the underlying motivation for a change of legal identity are justified see page 22 of echr.coe.int/Documents/Guid…. 2/11

🧵 I’m at the Supreme Court today for #Indyref2 case. If the UK Govt had any respect at all for Scottish democracy, this court hearing wouldn’t be necessary. At the 2021 scottish election the scot gov was elected on a manifesto commitment to hold a second indyref. Last time that happened 10 years ago in 2011 the UK govt respected that mandate & entered into an agreement to put beyond doubt the legality of indyref

🧵Yesterday another man appeared in court charged with threatening me on account of my belief that #SexMatters. I want to be very clear that every time someone in a position of power wrongly describes feminists or LGB people like me as transphobic simply 1/4 because we don’t share their belief in gender identity theory they risk inciting the sort of abuse & threats that I and others suffer from self styled “Trans rights activists” who in truth are nothing of the sort. 2/4

This article was briefly amended to include @ALLIANCELGB side of the story but I can’t see it any more. Some might say that such hysterical anger at LGB people organising to protect their right to be same sex attracted is the very definition of #homophobia

https://twitter.com/scotnational/status/1535685041669296130

Here’s what @ALLIANCELGB said “LGB Alliance is a registered charity whose goals are to promote equality and human rights for LGB people. All the publicly funded LGBTQIA+ groups now focus on the importance of gender identity,

🧵It’s #EuropeDay2022. As an @theSNP MP I lead the fight against the damaging #Brexit which Scottish voters had rejected & I am committed to delivering an #independent #Scotland which will rejoin the #EU. Here’s 10 reasons why. Copyright @Dr_PhilippaW 1. SOLIDARITY WITH A GLOBAL A-TEAM. The threats facing us are global. The EU leads progressive global action to solve shared challenges. An independent Scotland in the EU would be far stronger than post-Brexit UK scrambling for bilateral agreements.

🧵 Very disappointed not to get called to speak in the #OnlineSafetyBill debate this evening particularly as unsubstantiated allegations of transphobia were being bandied about. Here’s what I was planning to say There is much to welcome in the Bill particularly in relation to tackling Child Sexual and Emotional Abuse online. As a former Specialist Sex Crimes prosecutor I am all too aware of how children are targeted online.

🧵In the past week both Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie have displayed an extraordinary insouciance towards human rights and equality law by seeking to brand women who question legislative proposals based on gender identity theory heraldscotland.com/politics/20068… as “transphobes”” & akin to “racists” and “anti-Semites”. Ms Slater wants us banned from the airwaves & Mr Harvie wants us disciplined by our political parties. They really need to acquaint themselves with Articles 9 & 10 ECHR which protect freedom of belief

🧵It’s a year today since I was sacked from the front bench of the SNP Westminster Group having been wrongly accused of “transphobia”. Despite a continued campaign of bullying & harassment on account of my feminist beliefs & my sexuality 1/4 I’m enjoying life as a backbencher and benefiting from having more time to devote to my constituency and my work as Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. I’ve been fortified by the incredible level of support 2/4

‘Do right and fear no one.’ @BluskyeAllison addresses #LGBAlliance2021 about the importance of protecting #LGB rights as well as Trans rights & #FreeSpeech It’s an outrage that in 2021 we should require security to meet as Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual people to discuss our rights #LGBAlliance2021

🧵 My @ScotNational column on the co-operation agreement & how to make its worthy aspirations meaningful. Both parties have signed up to “doing politics better” “constructively & respectfully” & with “transparency & candour” 1/12 thenational.scot/politics/19541… If we are to have respectful politics & transparent processes, then these values must apply across the board. There can be no areas carved out where anything goes & people can be abused and traduced for seeking honest debate and scrutiny of policy. 2/12

The summary of the #Forstater judgment by discrimination law expert @akuareindorf should be essential reading on the importance of belief as a protected characteristic not just for employers but for service providers & membership organisations 1/

https://twitter.com/sexmattersorg/status/1422485895702265857

Such organisations should review their policies to avoid the potential sanctioning of discrimination, harassment or victimisation on the grounds of protected beliefs on sex & gender & avoid compelled speech. Also a reminder that #freedomofexpression 2/7

Here’s ⁦@thetimes⁩ view on what is a public & private sector scandal which could have significant legal implications for the feminists & lesbians who have been bullied to curry favour.
thetimes.co.uk/article/the-ti… .@TimesLucy has done a fantastic job of investigative journalism. She has revealed how