A thought or two

Where to start, there are several topics going round in my head. Normally I try to stay away from politics This week there are trans related political topics going round as we have had one or two more pronouncements have been made by Government Ministers.

The Attorney General, Sue Braverman, who you would have thought might know the law, or perhaps to put it better I think it is not unreasonable to expect her to know the law, has come out with a suggestion that she may override the Scottish Parliament’s decision to allow self ID to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate as this would mean there were different rules applicable in different parts of the United Kingdom. This is a devolved matter and Westminster cannot override the Scottish Parliament. However, the Attorney General claims it will cause confusion and difficulty allowing trans people who have acquired their GRC under the Scottish scheme to access same sex spaces in England, which is unacceptable and that there must be a unified approach.

It has been pointed out that there are several different systems that operate in the two countries which do not cause any difficulty. There is a different legal system, education system health system. What would the Attorney General’s position be in relation to Trans people coming to England from Ireland where they have had self ID for several years without any of the problems that are touted around by the fear mongers. I suspect it will come to nothing but two years ago Adam Wagner Q.C, a prominent Human Rights lawyer, expressed concern about her appointment warning that she was a former chair of the right wing ERG and that her appointment would oversee a reduction in Human Rights, withdrawal from the ECHR and attempts to limit the independence and influence of the judiciary. This would seem to be the path that she is following. It is clear that she wishes to reduce the existing rights of trans people and is considering amendments to the Equality Act to enable such changes.

It feels as if her appointment is not unlike that of Judge Thomas to the Supreme Court by President Trump. Very much a political appointment. This can be seen in her support of the legislation to override an international agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol. A breach of International Law. The Attorney General is arguing the case of “necessity”. Repeatedly it is stated by eminent lawyers that this is not a proper use of the doctrine of necessity and in any event you cannot plead necessity if it is something you have instigated yourself, such as signing the original Treaty.

Then dear Nadine Dorris, has written in the Mail on Sunday that she will make it “crystal clear” to British sporting bodies that competitive women’s sport must be reserved for people born of the female sex when she meets them today to discuss their transgender policies. She says she “will urge organisations representing football, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics and other sports to follow the lead of FINA the governing body of swimming, by barring from female events trans women who have “gone through male puberty”. She goes on to say “I have the greatest compassion for anyone who finds themselves living in a body they don’t recognise. But we can’t pretend that sex doesn’t matter. Sex has biological consequences. If you’re born a male, and you go through puberty as a male, your body develops natural physical advantages over a woman’s. That makes you stronger and faster”.

Since I wrote about this issue before, I have been doing some research and I find that most sporting bodies already have guidelines in place which allow Trans people to participate in sporting events provided they meet their guidelines. The most common of which include a hormone test to establish and monitor their testosterone levels, together with a time lapse so that there is not an immediate switch. This seems reasonable to me and is already working satisfactorily and has been for years until the anti trans warriors decided to make it an issue. It also reflects the huge changes that trans people experience on HRT which, although I am no athlete, I can attest to a spectacular reduction in my own physical strength. Several prominent athletes have come out against the Attorney General’s proposal saying the current system is working and her proposal does not reflect what actually happens and that she is playing to an audience following the dogwhistle of “science is science”.

Sadly, this seems to be par for the course for the present government more interested in prompting woke wars and causing division.