Many expert observers have already noted that the document flatly contradicts the Scottish Government’s previous repeated and strenuous assertions that a Gender Recognition Certificate confers “no new rights” on trans people, and have published extremely detailed assessments which are frankly all but impenetrable to non-lawyers but basically conclude that the Scottish Government’s position is a mess.
Our favourite line, however, is this one.
So if you’re obliged to have a 50/50 sex balance in your boardroom, you can do it by hiring a man with a GRC saying he’s legally female, or by hiring a woman.
We believe that the young folk nowadays call that a “self-own”.
As a lifelong political geek and former SNP and Alba Party member, I’ve spent years supporting Scotland’s independence movement. However, over the last few years, I’ve watched the campaign (as opposed to support for independence) wither away. Being a Scottish nationalist has become increasingly disheartening, like watching someone you love succumb to a slow, debilitating illness. In frustration, I switched off from my homeland and turned my focus to the drama of US politics.
Over the last three years I immersed myself in it, watching both left and right-wing outlets. I became so hooked and invested that I jumped on a plane to Washington DC for the 2024 election. I canvassed with DC Democrats in rural Pennsylvania (that’s me third from the left in the pic below), attended Kamala Harris’s concession rally, and went to Trump’s only watch party in DC.
My journey led me to believe that Scotland’s independence campaign could learn a great deal from Trump’s victory and the Democrats’ failure.
We’ll give you three guesses as to the highly controversial and extravagantly taxpayer-funded organisation that has its rainbow fingerprints all over this story, readers.
To be honest, readers, the peculiar events of yesterday continued to nag at us all day as every news broadcaster in Scotland and beyond leapt eagerly on the ludicrous non-story from the Herald On Sunday’s front page. (It was even the #2 item on BBC Radio Wales, inexplicably).
For such an absolute nothingball of scurrilous sub-gossip to so dominate the entire news media was just too strange to ignore. We cannot remember the last time a low-grade freelancer managed to sell the same story to FOUR major Scottish newspapers – who normally, remember, only want exclusives for their big front-page splashes – let alone a crummy opinion columnist (not even an actual news reporter) who’s only been back in journalism for five minutes after a 15-year break as a failed PR guru.
(Once they’d all run the shoddy hatchet piece, TV and radio then had all the excuse they needed to blare it across the airwaves. “Oh, it’s not us inflating and amplifying this garbage, guv, we’re just reporting what the papers are saying.”)
So in our eternal quest for enlightenment and understanding we thought we’d see if we could find out a bit more about the little-known but recently-revived sleeper assassin with the ironic name: Carlos Alba.
Alex Salmond will be laid to rest in the green turf of Aberdeenshire today in a quiet and dignified private ceremony. (A public celebration of his life will take place next month.)
Most of Scotland’s press and commentariat beclowned itself shamefully after his death just as it did during his life, but below is a (regrettably short) collection of those who did otherwise and who deserve to be noted honourably beside the man himself.
Redaction is a tricky business, and comes with numerous pitfalls even if you’re being careful, which not everyone is. If you’re involved in creating a document you know will have to be redacted, there are a variety of safeguarding approaches you can adopt.
When I worked on a videogames magazine called Amiga Power in the 1990s, we ran a fun comedy feature about censorship. But because the company that published the magazine had had some unfortunate mishaps in the field, we took extra care by typing all the “offensive” words as random-length strings of Xs when we wrote the article.
And it was lucky that we did, because as you can see in the feature’s strapline, the art department misaligned the red redaction bar on some of them, and if there’d been a sweary in there it would have been easily identified.
Aidan on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “Craig Murray is in the National this morning (who are bravely flouting the D Notice I see). So when can…” Aug 6, 08:02
twathater on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “TBQH James I think agent shitehawk is well past convincing, he aligns himself with the other Scotland Hating drones who…” Aug 6, 03:49
twathater on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “If anyone is interested in WHO owns Scotland this is a very interesting article and post from Henry Ferguson of…” Aug 6, 03:32
Young Lochinvar on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: ““Feminisation” of society.. Hit the nail on the head there Christine, well said and bravo risking the bull d1ke backlash.…” Aug 6, 00:43
Young Lochinvar on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “In reply to the Tw8t P3nisbreath McP3nisbreathface @ 8.17 The Irony! From the one who “wangs oan” endlessly about r££skies…” Aug 6, 00:15
George Ferguson on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “@Hatey McHateface 11.09pm I can’t make the numbers work. ROI is nought. Policies don’t matter. The Bills that the new…” Aug 6, 00:11
Young Lochinvar on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “In reply to P3nisbreath McP3nisbreathface @ 10.30 Ouch! Touched a raw nerve c0ck breath have I? And there was me…” Aug 5, 23:52
James on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “There are none so blind as those who will not see. If, after everything published on this site, and everything…” Aug 5, 23:42
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “Sorry to hear you are not pursuing the Independent MSP plan, George. As for Forbes. I won’t be surprised if…” Aug 5, 23:09
George Ferguson on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “@Hatey McHateface Why do think Kate Forbes has left? The SNP strategy was also to muddy the legal waters. Unfortunately…” Aug 5, 22:54
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “And another two penises, with a side order of cock sucking. Three double taps too. I guess I should be…” Aug 5, 22:30
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: ““The Capture is still in full view” Here’s an article confirming this: https://unherd.com/newsroom/even-reform-uk-is-falling-prey-to-gender-ideology/ And a quote: “In the three and…” Aug 5, 22:13
Young Lochinvar on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “In reply to P3nisbreath McP3nisbreathface @ 9.22 Aaah! “Smoking a pipe”.. So that’s what you call that “ACT” nowadays.. Try…” Aug 5, 21:59
George Ferguson on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “There was a couple of stories today that missed the attention of the discerning Independence supporter. The first being the…” Aug 5, 21:44
agent x on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “@Alf Baird says: I can assure you that nothing you have ever said has convinced me to change my no…” Aug 5, 21:34
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “Don’t be too hard on agent x. He might be living in fear and never-ending abuse. Perhaps he’s been enslaved.…” Aug 5, 21:33
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “Much to agree with in your post, willie. But any vipers reading here will be affronted at being compared to…” Aug 5, 21:26
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “And another two penises. Fit happened tae the re-enactment o’ Otterburn then? Car widnae start? Scotland’s gonna need a new…” Aug 5, 21:22
Alf Baird on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: ““it is the “no” voters like me that need convincing.” In a colonial society, rejecting the liberation of one’s own…” Aug 5, 21:02
Young Lochinvar on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “In reply to P3nisbreath McP3nisbreath @ 8.10 The only todgers mentioned were your nickname; and you wonder why 🙂 .…” Aug 5, 20:55
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “Is that a new boy then (Said)? I don’t recall you mentioning him before. Interesting that the “experience equally agonising”…” Aug 5, 20:30
willie on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “Word is that Kate Forbes is standing down because the party ” a nest of vipers ” Although I think…” Aug 5, 20:26
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: ““Is there anything more boring and irrelevant” Sure. Any number of things.” Aug 5, 20:21
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “You need to spend a lot more time in Middle Earth, Confused. It obviously calms you down, even although Da…” Aug 5, 20:17
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “Christine, thank you for your comment (5 Aug, 6.37 pm). It brought to mind this powerful extract from an interview…” Aug 5, 20:16
Hatey McHateface on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “That’s the great thing about the internet, YL Sah! War correspondents can do it all from behind the closed curtains…” Aug 5, 20:10
George Ferguson on The Deafening Echo Of Nothing: “@Christine Yes and the said troika would reinstate the 16th Century fig leaf that so damaged the original work of…” Aug 5, 19:14