FREEDOM!!!! [4]

wow! people are to be prosecuted for hate speech, IN THEIR OWN HOMES. nice.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/10/29/sending-the-thought-polis-into-scottish-homes/

{{ Um you do know Figg youre back on the kool-aid- the Hate Crime Law was passed over 2 years ago with cross party support and there has been no fuss about it since. Nor does it do the things that ludicrous story says it does.
Hold on Ill test it!.....yup just shouted and swore about all sorts of people in my own home, no police so far just a rather shocked cat!

Although that story does highlight one thing very well, it was written in 2020, 1 year before the bill had finished passing through Parliament, and it demonstrates well the hysterical gulf in reality between the attacks of the right wing media and the real bill nearly 3 years after it was passed. }}}}

Nope it proves that the loony SNP even thought of going there, and it was championed by 'you know who'.

{{ Its been law for over two years never mind going there, and it shows how far down the rabbit hole you seem to have plunged if you believe that article (I cant call it news because it doesnt contain much facts, and the one actual fact it does contain- that  it repealed the blasphemy act- thus increasing free speech, is true. It did do that. Im wondering when you became a loony Unionist spouting anti-SNP conspiracy theory devotee. Does it really all just stem from your dislike of trans folk having rights?}}

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{Im wondering when you became a loony Unionist spouting anti-SNP conspiracy theory devotee. Does it really all just stem from your dislike of trans folk having rights?}}

 No. It stems from me wondering just where you draw the line on the silly billies. I reckon at this point if the SNP was to decree that all toilets had cameras installed to check whether there was enough bullshit exiting people's bums, you would say, "sounds legit, I am all for it".  Just how mad would they have to be before you drew the line?

fyi I am all for Independence, and trans folk can have the same rights as the rest of us.

{{ There is plenty about the SNP I have issue with, particularly on ferries and transport and the SNP financing - thing is they are real things. Real policy issues.

The stuff you have been putting up, well its utterly divorced from reality.
There is much to complain about, but it should be real stuff not imaginary made up right wing nonsense and outright lies.}}

{{ Been watching the SNP leadership hustings. I like the format, its very open, its party members asking questions they want answers too, and the tone has generally been good.
But, like much of the country I feel I go into this without a particular favourite in the fight and waiting to see if someone emerges above the others.

So far of the three I'd say it was a two horse race between Forbes, who has been confident, and clear and passionate in her answers, and Yousef, who is the most professional in his presentation and, as you'd expect of someone whose served in government for some time, the most competent and experienced. But he is dull with it.
I think Forbes also has her sex on her side, I think there is a sizeable progressive wing of the SNP that rather liked having a female party leader and may want to see that continue.

The third contender, Regan, her problem is she can be hesitant in giving answers and isn't as clear and well worded as her opposition are, her lack of experience shows. She is also the most hardline in forcing a referendum. I just dont see her pulling it off and winning. }}

{{ This reporting made me chuckle. The Scotsman ran with a front page story about 'in-fighting' in the SNP at the leadership hustings. In fact 4 separate Unionist, Tory rags use the word 'in-fighting' in their main story, they must be word-sharing!

Problem is I've been watching them and no there hasn't been, there's been differences as you'd expect, but its not like say the Tory leadership contest where they just slagged each other off and leaked negative stories about each other to the press. So far as these things go its all been very polite and civilised in fact. So what are they on about?
Well what made me chuckle is how they justify 'in-fighting' in the main text of the article, you have to get 2/3 of the way through it first to get to the wonderful truth-

'The hustings were characterised by in-fighting between members in the online comments section.'

They are having to go to an online comments section to find some dissention, a comments section, on the internet, quite possibly the worst place on the planet to go for anything. You couldnt make this up. Well you could clearly, if youre a Unionist rag. }}

{{ The Tory papers are all over the announced drop in SNP membership, but boy are they only telling a tiny part of the story, which is to be expected by now.

The membership has gone from 104,000 members in 2021 to 72,186.
Not that the Tory rags are using that 2021 figure, instead they are using figures from 2019 when membership peaked at 125,691 to make the drop seem larger.
And they are solely attributing it to folk leaving over the gender reforms in order to further stoke the culture war as a political tool, a very nasty evil one.

What they don't tell you is that all party membership is down over the same period, and while I am sure some left because they disagreed with the gender reforms the far more likely reason is the same reason it's dropped across all parties - the cost of living crisis. Party membership costs money and the SNP, far more than most parties, has a membership made up of ordinary working class people, the very people most affected by the cost of living crisis. It's hardly surprising therefore when figuring out how to save money that dues to membership of a political party is among the first things to go.

The other thing they aren't talking about is how the current figure of 72,186 is still way out in front of all other parties.

Labour for example has 16,467 members in Scotland, the Greens 7,500, the Lib Dems 4,185 and the Tories? Well they are refusing to even say what their membership in Scotland is probably because it's in, at best, 3 digits given they have only 1 MP.

The truth is the other parties would kill to have that size of membership.

Whilst the Tory press is spinning this as a disaster all it really shows is the SNP remain far and away the largest party in the country. Just don't expect the right wing biased news media in this country to tell you that. }}

Your parties have membership dues? I suppose it makes some sense because only those who donate have much influence.

{{ Yeah if youre a party member you get to vote on the party leader. So for example in the current SNP leadership contest only party members get to vote who will be Scotland's new First Minister, as in a parliamentary democracy you dont vote for a leader, you vote for a party so if the leader changes you dont need to hold a general election open to all, as the party hasnt changed, just whose head of it. The party picks their leader.
Its same reason since the Tories got elected to Westminster we've had Boris, May, Truss and now Sunak as PM- without the public every getting a say unless they are a fully paid up conservative party member.}}