After yesterday’s disturbing article about the indoctrination of Scottish schoolchildren into transgender ideology via the Scottish Government’s proposed new “conversion practices” legislation, Wings was contacted by a number of current Scottish teachers telling us we had no idea how far it had already gone.
The message below was by no means untypical:
“This stuff around the UNCRC has been a concern for a while. Some of the articles seem to be being interpreted in ways they were never intended. It has become a vehicle for activist teachers to push their own agendas, all the while hiding behind ‘children’s rights’.
Getting certified is being pushed heavily in every school. Headteachers seem to be under a lot of pressure (coming from Scottish Government) to get it all implemented. We’re currently working towards silver.”
It’s from a 2018 BBC3 documentary called Becoming A Trans Man – Leo. The 15-year-old child in the video plays with a Rubik’s Cube as Wolton, who was 31 at the time, enthusiastically grooms her into transitioning into a “man”, advocating chest binders, a double mastectomy and the irreversible mutilation of her genitalia (“Lower surgery – you want that”) that will, Wolton confirms, lead to her permanent sterilisation, as well as the destruction of her future adult sexual function.
The BBC presents it as a heartwarming tale of friendship.
The Herald has the barest skeleton of a report, while you have to turn to page 14 of the Daily Record for a similar piece that conveys the basic facts with nothing at all about the significance of the ruling, and STV News – embarrassingly – just runs an agency release despite having the estimable Colin Mackay and Bernard Ponsonby on its staff. (They also had nothing on air last night.) Maybe they were busy.
The Scottish Sun is by far the best of the print media on the subject. It first ran a extensive but very strangely-timed article that included reporting of actual events at the hearing but NOT the verdict, even though the court delivered its judgement mere moments after hearing the counsels’ submissions.
(The piece finishes “The appeal at the Court of Session is expected to last one day, with a written judgement taking weeks or months”.)
It followed up a couple of hours later with another substantial story including the reactions of the Scottish Government and the Scottish Information Commissioner (the opposing parties at the hearing). But the only actual analysis was done by the BBC.
To the surprise of most of those watching, including ourselves, the Court Of Session delivered its judgement immediately at the end of today’s hearing, after only the most cursory of conflabs between the three august panel members.
The short version is that the Scottish Government lost, and must now comply with Wings reader Benjamin Harrop‘s FOI request regarding evidence that was supplied to independent adviser James Hamilton during his inquiry into the unlawful investigation of false allegations against Alex Salmond.
The Scottish Government will make history tomorrow. For the first time ever since the advent of devolution 24 years ago, it will take the Scottish Information Commissioner to the Court Of Session to prevent disclosure of information.
On the bench will be the full firepower of the inner council of the Scottish judiciary. The Lord President himself, Lord Carloway, will be presiding (and presumably lording) over the hearing. Joining him on the bench will be a former Lord Advocate, Lord Boyd, and a former Solicitor General, Lord Pentland – pictured below, and of whom readers will last have heard here.
To use the legal parlance, that’s a big-boy lineup.
To present their case, the Government are fielding not one but two King’s Counsel – James Mure KC and Paul Reid KC.
This top legal talent does not come cheap and nor does a Court Of Session hearing. So what is this vital information that the Scottish Government – which as recently as May this year pledged to “ensure that we are the most transparent Government on these islands” – is trying so desperately to hide from the Scottish public, at the Scottish public’s very considerable expense?
Just under four years ago the world was hit by a pandemic that spread like wildfire and caused misery wherever it reached. It’ll be remembered by almost everyone who lived through it, especially those who worked to protect society’s most vulnerable.
We’ve all heard about its effect on our NHS, but less so on those working within social care. As the COVID inquiries on both sides of the border continue to reveal more and more troubling information, Wings readers should hear the story of what it was like to work in social care in Scotland during the COVID pandemic.
The average prison term for rape in Scotland is just under seven years. So we really don’t want to think about what Andrew “Amy George” Miller did to the poor young girl he abducted to get 20. (Indeed, strictly speaking 28.)
Miller wasn’t charged with rape, the 11-year-old was described as “safe and well” when the police found her and she was missing for just over one day. Miller also entered a guilty plea. So our blood runs cold at the thought of what must have happened in those 27 hours to nevertheless attract such a huge sentence, and we hope never to know.
As alert readers will have noticed, Wings has been perusing the SNP’s Governance And Transparency Review over the last couple of days, a document which tentatively attempts to discern just how big a mess the party’s previous leadership has left it in.
The paper has now also reached the mainstream media.
Wings already touched on that particular aspect of the party’s mismanagement back in August, but in the light of the report now formally acknowledging the problem it’s worth taking a moment to establish just how astonishingly bad it is.
Readers may have been baffled by a news story yesterday, in which an event where two men insulted each other in the street (“Deviant!”, “Bigot!”) has led to one of them, but not the other, being arrested and charged with an unspecified crime by police.
In particular, many people on social media have contrasted the situation with one from a month ago, when a large male transactivist violently assaulted a feminist woman at a “Women Won’t Wheesht” meeting in Aberdeen but merely received a recorded warning rather than being arrested and charged.
So we’re very grateful to Roddy Dunlop KC, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates (the “trade” body of Scotland’s senior barristers), for posting an extremely informative, and disturbing, summary of the relevant laws on Twitter this morning.
Xaracen on The Long Future: “As for the “principle of respect for the territorial integrity of states”, that can only apply to unitary states. For…” Apr 3, 11:48
sarah on The Gender Of Mountains: “Scotland Act 1998 clause 7 (2) Sub-paragraph (1) does NOT reserve – (a) observing and implementing international obligations, obligations under…” Apr 3, 11:30
Xaracen on The Long Future: “Ah, so it’s not an important matter of principle at all, then. It’s just a shoddy excuse to keep certain…” Apr 3, 11:28
Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: ““A gutless pro Trump British yoon Nazi appeaser” as opposed to an aborted pro Faggot inbred Lefty jizz stain.” Apr 3, 10:24
Aidan on The Gender Of Mountains: “@Mary – you’re right, but the UNCRC was successfully challenged in the Supreme Court on the basis that it extended…” Apr 3, 10:04
Sven on The Gender Of Mountains: “Iain More @ 08.15. I suspect that this will be in retaliation for the 82% Tariff which the Islands impose…” Apr 3, 09:49
Southernbystander on The Gender Of Mountains: “Is there not a serious problem of throwing the baby out with the bath water with this endless invocation of…” Apr 3, 09:44
MaryB on The Gender Of Mountains: “Aidan @ 6.23am Why don’t you Google UN Human Rights and ICCPR? The UK adopted the overall Human Rights Act,…” Apr 3, 09:36
Iain More on The Gender Of Mountains: “Ok we get that you are a gutless pro Trump Brit Yoon NAZI appeaser. Thanks for letting is know.” Apr 3, 09:22
Hatey McHateface on The Gender Of Mountains: “Why is this a gift for Scottish Indy, Iain? Is iScotland going to stand up to President Trump and the…” Apr 3, 08:48
Iain More on The Gender Of Mountains: “41% Tariffs on Falkland Islands. What did they do to piss off Fuhrer Trump? I had no idea that the…” Apr 3, 08:15
Aidan on The Gender Of Mountains: “Another cunning plan based on a whole heap of made up legal arguments which no court, anywhere, is going to…” Apr 3, 06:23
Hatey McHateface on The Sacrifice: “@Zimba Regarding moral inconsistencies. I believe a meaningful debate between fair-minded individuals acting in good faith first needs some kind…” Apr 2, 21:17
sarah on The Gender Of Mountains: “IMPORTANT: Leah Gunn Barrett attended the Public Petitions Committee at Holyrood today in order to see what would happen to…” Apr 2, 19:40
agent x on The Gender Of Mountains: “Caroline Lucas says: “He helped transform the fortunes of the Scottish Green party – taking the party into government for…” Apr 2, 18:13
Porty on The Long Future: “Have a wee look at her post and highlights of committee meeting today at Holyrood today, she’s a fighter, well…” Apr 2, 18:08
Porty on The Long Future: “So the game’s a bogey, so we call it a day?” Apr 2, 18:04
Porty on The Long Future: “So the game’s a bogey, so we call it a day?” Apr 2, 18:00
Aidan on The Long Future: “@Xaracen – to understand why the geographic separation requirement is so important you have to look back at the context…” Apr 2, 17:31
Porty on The Long Future: “Was & still am a follower of the Rev, but starting to question myself why, isn’t it about time he…” Apr 2, 17:27
Porty on The Long Future: “Was & still am a follower of the Rev, but starting to question myself why, isn’t it about time he…” Apr 2, 17:27
twathater on The Gender Of Mountains: “Another piece of evidence to EXPOSE the continued ongoing lunacy that we must find some way to address https://open.substack.com/pub/iainmacwhirter/p/trans-cat-msp-cleared-of-non-crime?r=5catlo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email” Apr 2, 16:38
Zimba on The Sacrifice: “First off, apologies for essentially posting the same (or similar) comment twice. I’m not a frequent poster here (or anywhere…” Apr 2, 15:59
Zimba on The Long Future: “This is not a portrait of what Scotland’s politicians alone have become. The malaise is sadly European generally and is…” Apr 2, 15:21
Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: “Is Greer related to Chapman. Strange shaped head sneering mouth with studs for teeth and eyes that sit suspiciously in…” Apr 2, 14:35
Mark Beggan on The Gender Of Mountains: “The Teletubbies have to say bye bye Dipsy. Dipsy likes bouncing on his bottom. But now Dipsy has a sore…” Apr 2, 13:45
Hatey McHateface on The Sacrifice: “Ah, Zimba, always good to hear from the kind of poster who believes that any number of dead men, women,…” Apr 2, 13:17
Zimba on The Sacrifice: “Good job, Hatey, our kindly bombs and bullets can help them learn to see their own moral failings before it’s…” Apr 2, 12:14
Zimba on The Sacrifice: “Good thing, Hatey, our bombs and bullets are there to help them see their moral failings while being clinically slaughtered.” Apr 2, 11:57
