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Scotland's government says a new law will tackle hate crime

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By JILL LAWLESS

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This political craziness, cultural war, gender political socialization, now to be immersed, drowned in the legal complexity of defining hate speech is a rabbit hole.

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf is in danger of smothering any possibility of Scottish Independence.

Scotland, its people should be able to choose it own path away from Westminster.

What has happened here?

Both Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Salmond came so close.

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Both Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Salmond came so close.

This law was actually introduced by Nicola Sturgeon and passed in 2021.

the legal complexity of defining hate speech is a rabbit hole

Perhaps, but such laws already exist. This new law is not so different from existing laws - it consolidates a few things and adds "age" as another item. (No malicious hate towards we oldies.)

J.K. Rowling's comments are a little strange. She says "but if what I’ve written here qualifies as an offence under the terms of the new act". But I'm pretty sure what she has written doesn't qualify as an offence. The law specifically states that actions have to demonstrate malice and ill-will towards the victim. Expressing a biological opinion of whether someone is a man or a woman is not malice. Some take the view that she is pursuing an anti-SNP position rather than a "free speech" position.

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I've just read that the Scottish police have said that what JK Rowling had written is not being treated as criminal. No surprise, I think. She referred to a "transwoman" as a "man". Fine, I generally have the same opinion. It's just an opinion, no malice involved. My complaint with JK Rowling is her stance against the current law.

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albaleo, I understand Humza Yousaf (2021) then justice secretary saw through the hate crime legislation  passage at Holyrood,

Former First minster Nicola Sturgeon removed or made sure the removal of amendments at the bills final stage that would have safe guarded specific freedom of expression/speech protections that pretrains to quote sex is a physical binary characteristic that cannot be changed.

The danger here is the vague interpretation, could well mean that "gender-critical feminists" would be "criminalised" through the a section stating “behaviour or material is not to be taken to be threatening or abusive solely on the basis that it involves” - discussion or criticism involving trans issues.

I.e. - “discussion or criticism relating to, or expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule or insult towards” religious beliefs and practices. All were removed.

Nicola Sturgeon had the political skills and ability to win elections one after another regardless of suggested character flaws. Boris Johnson's tenure as Prime Minister , his constant baiting of Sturgeon,

I was reading Sturgeon despised the fellow with a passion.

It would not have surprised me if Scotland’s hate crime bill/laws weren't a means to beat Johnson over the head relentlessly.

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And a motorhome parked at her mother in laws thanks to creative accounting :-)

Nicola Sturgeon had the political skills

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Yes the motorhome, the  £110,000 luxury Niesmann+ Bischoff vehicle parked outside the home, some two years, of Nicola Sturgeon's mother-in-law, apparently never insured.

Reported “There was no loan or credit required for the sale, it was a cash purchase. Not many people are lucky enough to have £110,000 sitting in their bank account.”

This PR nightmare stems from the so called ‘independence unit’ set up by Nicola Sturgeon in summer 2021 and the promised £600,000 budget.

Which led to the an seemingly never ending police investigation into the SNP's funding and finances.

All have nothing directly, well not on the surface, to indicate the Scotland’s hate crime bill/laws, will or should be taken into consideration at the next election.

But it will, with "bells and whistles"

Keir Starmer "new labour" is pinning his parties hopes to be the next government, a Scottish political renaissance, could, I suggest will tip the balance.

This Rishi Sunak government is a mess, it is rudderless, politically economically incompetent.

Yet as with UK politics, its what lurks beneath the surface.

Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Reform UK, the silent majority.

That flips and flops inside a polling booth

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Seven years for misgendering people !

Some dictatorships today are more free than the west.

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