Miserable Scotland…Rhoda Grants claims support for her gender jihad against men who pay for sex

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See article from icscotland.icnetwork.co.uk

A proposal to criminalise the purchase of sex has found support according to the results of a public consultation. Almost 1,000 people responded to Labour MSP Rhoda Grant’s plan which she hopes will become law in Scotland. Of the total, 80% favour her ban. Grant claimed: There has been an excellent response, and I now hope we can use the evidence provided to change society’s attitude towards buying and selling sex, thereby protecting vulnerable people. The primary argument that the demand to buy sex will decrease was acknowledged in the responses of those in favour and against the proposed Bill. This would have a knock-on effect on sex trafficking as Scotland would not be seen as a profitable market by traffickers. This will ultimately mean an overall decrease in the level of prostitution in the country. Of 953 responses, 758 favoured her approach which is based on legislation in Sweden. Of the individual responses, 47 are from people who work or worked in the sex industry . One anonymous respondent wrote: I chose to escort for money. I enjoy it. I do not feel exploited or dehumanised. I feel liberated, excited, expressive, creative and earning good money. I am one of very few people who actually enjoys their job.

Dangerous Songs…SNP push their football sectarianism bill through parliament

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See article from guardian.co.uk

Repressive laws against religious insult at football matches in Scotland have been passed after the Scottish government rejected complaints the rules were unworkable. The offensive behaviour bill was pushed through Holyrood using the Scottish National party’s overall majority. The bill was opposed by all other parties and attracted widespread criticism from fans, clubs and the Church of Scotland. Holyrood’s four opposition parties, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Tories and the Scottish Green party, backed by the independent MSP Margo Macdonald, issued a joint statement accusing ministers of railroading the Scottish parliament: It is of real regret that the first piece of legislation passed by this new parliament has been railroaded through by the SNP. The SNP has used its majority to force through a bad law that risks doing more harm than good. It sets a worrying precedent for this parliament. The new measures introduce two new offences of inciting religious, racial or other forms of hatred in public or on the internet, which will be punishable by up to five years in jail. The offences will cover football grounds, public places and pubs and clubs. Allison McInnes, the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ justice spokeswoman, said the government was creating two new criminal offences without any kind of consensus: They are unable to answer basic questions about how the law will be enforced or present evidence as to why it is needed. They can provide only the vaguest assurances that it will not impact people’s freedom of speech.

Scotland Sings a Song of Repression…Football sectarianism bill clears 2nd stage

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See article from scotsman.com

Scottish football fans could soon be arrested for singing what the authorities deem offensive or sectarian songs at football game. The repressive new legislation has led to suggestions that fans could face prosecution for singing the national anthem or crossing themselves. The SNP government has been accused of using its substantial majority to steamroller through the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communication Scotland Bill, despite widespread concerns from opposition parties and bodies outside Holyrood. But the measures are backed by the police and prosecution chiefs. Ministers rejected a series of opposition amendments aimed at refining the laws and the bill is now expected to complete its third stage reading by parliament in mid-December. It should become law by mid-January. Patrick Harvie, the leader of the Green Party, claimed the SNP has forced the measures through parliament, ignoring a growing chorus of objections. This prompted him to claim that the measures had been steamrollered through parliament. Ministers are stubbornly determined to force it through in the teeth of consistent and reasoned opposition from all quarters, inside and outside parliament, he said. The freedom of expression clause was agreed though which covers communications, such as messages sent over the internet, which may contain insults or abuse of religious beliefs. But it does not cover online messages which are threatening or likely to cause public disorder. Neither does it apply to sectarian or threatening behaviour at and around football matches. Another change made by the committee widens part of the bill to include people not necessarily travelling to a football match.

Tinpot Dictator…Opposition parties unimpressed by Alex Salmond’s football bigotry bill

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See article from scotsman.com See also article from bbc.co.uk

censorial laws to targeting sectarianism in football are the stuff of a tinpot dictatorship, opposition MSPs have told ministers. In a debate at Holyrood, they said they could not support the Scottish Government because it had failed to make the case for the legislation. Labour back-bencher Neil Findlay derided a recent comedy evidence session from justice minister Roseanna Cunningham, who appeared to indicate that singing God Save the Queen or making the sign of the cross could, in some cases, lead to fans being arrested. He said: This is like some tinpot dictatorship where the national anthem could be outlawed and carrying out a symbolic Christian act could have you in the pokey. When the law is beyond satire, the law is an ass. Fellow Labour MSP Michael McMahon called the bill: the most illiberal legislation ever put before this parliament. When the First Minister claims that he wants to stop people reliving 1690 and 1916 on our streets, I ask him to reflect on this glib statement and ask himself how prepared would he be to consign William Wallace in 1297 or Robert the Bruce in 1314 to the dustbin of history and set his culture and heritage aside because it may give offence to someone. Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and independent MSPs released a joint statement last night, saying they had come together to send the strongest message possible to the government, asking it not to use its majority to force through the flawed legislation. The bill passed to its second stage after receiving narrow backing from the justice committee.

Offensive Behaviour…Police will use crowd surveillance and recording to arrest football fans for offensive speech

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See article from thescotsman.scotsman.com

Police arrests for insulting behaviour at a football match Police armed with spy cameras and recording equipment will capture supposedly bigoted speech at Old Firm games as they enforce a new law that will see sectarian fans jailed for up to five years. Strathclyde Police will use the latest surveillance technology to identify supporters who offend against offensive behaviour laws. Police will use the information recorded on their equipment to arrest fans after the final whistle, as they enforce a controversial anti-sectarianism law that is to be rushed through Holyrood before the start of next season. Alex Salmond’s government introduced its bill in the Scottish Parliament, and the legislation is expected to be passed before MSPs rise for the summer recess in two weeks. The bill, which outlaws offensive and threatening behaviour at football matches, and sectarian postings on the internet, was published amid concerns it could be challenged in the courts because it is being forced through too quickly. The proposed legislation has shied away from producing a list of proscribed songs and chants. The law will instead create two new offences – offensive behaviour and threatening communications. Determining whether a football fan has been offensive will come down to whether the he or she is judged to have indulged in behaviour likely to lead to public disorder. Much will depend on the context of their actions. Offensive behaviour covers not only football matches but also fans travelling to and from a game and supporters gathering to watch a match on a big screen or at a pub.

Some Good, Some Bad…Scottish extreme porn ban approved, prostitution restrictions rejected

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Thanks to ste

MSPs have been discussing law reforms defined in the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill. The Scottish Parliament has passed its extreme porn laws. No surprise there. But on the other hand, the Parliament actually did a decent job of rejecting a bunch of other stupid laws. Sandra White’s lap dancing regime got rejected (only the SNP supported it), and attempts to ban all prostitution, and also to introduce the English strict liability offence for using ‘controlled’ prostitutes were both rejected (only Labour supported them). So some bad, but some good also. Interestingly, the Police (particularly in the form of ACPOS) were fairly pivotal in providing cover for rejecting the prostitution laws. They basically said they didn’t want or need them, and that they might well make things worse, which made it a lot easier for the parties to reject them.

Extreme Injustice…Extreme porn ban set to become law in Scotland

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Based on article from news.bbc.co.uk

MSPs are poised to pass nasty law reforms defined by the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill. The legislation brings in a number of new criminal offences, including specific action to tackle stalking, people forced into slavery or servitude and possession of extreme pornography. The bill also aims to  widen the powers of licensing boards and standards officers. MSPs will also vote on an amendment brought forward by SNP backbencher Sandra White MSP on greater restrictions for lap dancing clubs.

The Only Ones Being Sexualised are the Nutters…Scottish report finds few sexualising images in stores

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Based on article from dutchnews.nl

Any crackdown on sexual imagery in goods aimed at children would be fraught with difficulties, a new Holyrood report has found. The study also said that relatively few goods of this nature were aimed at children in stores. Holyrood’s equal opportunities committee commissioned independent research after hearing in evidence sessions that items such as high-heeled slip-on shoes were available for babies and underwear items for girls had sexual slogans printed on them. Attention was also drawn to Bratz dolls, which were condemned by the NSPCC as increasing the sexualisation of children. The report, which has not yet been passed by the committee, said: The attempt to control the production and distribution of sexualised goods, or at least control children’s access to them, is likely to be fraught with difficulties, not least in terms of how we define what is to be regulated in the first place. While it did not discourage any attempt to impose controls, it said it could be costly and have counterproductive consequences. Many of the stores surveyed for the report, such as Tesco, Littlewoods, Debenhams, D2 Jeans and Marks & Spencer did not sell any goods with sexual imagery aimed at children. However, Sandra White MSP, who had sat on the committee, did not accept the report’s assertions. She said: This sounds like a cop-out, and I would hope the committee would reject this part of the report. I don’t see how it would be difficult to control. We’ve just banned cigarette machines and advertising, so why can’t we look at legislating (to protect] young people from sexual imagery? Ed Mayo, co-author of Consumer Kids, a critical study of children’s marketing, who gave evidence to the committee, agreed with Ms White: It’s a wonderful piece of academic research, but what it doesn’t do is come off the fence. We know children are exposed to sexual material more than before, but what it’s difficult to work out through this study is where the responsibility lies. There’s no one group that is responsible for pushing too much too young to children. Everybody is. It’s a good overview, but it leaves a question mark as to what schools can do, what parents can do and what the Scottish Government can do to act on this. The study was led by Professor David Buckingham, from the Institute of Education at London University.