• Contact
  • About
  • Authors
DONATE TO BYLINES SCOTLAND
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
Bylines Scotland
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Bylines Scotland Breaking News
    • Europe
    • King Charles III
    • Queen Elizabeth II
    • Scotland
    • War in Ukraine
    • World
    Go Dharmic charity with Martin Dover

    Putting compassion into action – Coronation Champion Award winner Martin Dover leads the way.

    Police Investigation

    There’s been a murder

    Heart of NHS

    Back to the future: staff training in NHS Scotland

    Women health inequalities represented by a heart and a cardiogram

    Women’s Health in Scotland: challenges and progress

    Oil in Scotland

    Oil, Margaret Thatcher and Dinnae Mess Wi Us

    Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh

    Scotland’s Road to Devolution

    Poverty in Scotland

    Poverty in Scotland 2022

    NHS Scotland

    A Healthcare System that delivers for people?

    Scottish political calls

    Liberté, égalité, fraternité

    Trending Tags

    • Democracy
    • Devolution
    • Brexit
    • Ukraine
  • Politics
    • All
    • Council Areas
    • Europe
    • Holyrood
    • Liz Truss
    • Rest of UK
    • Tories
    • United Kingdom
    • Westminster
    • World
    Leadership melting down in the UK

    Cabinet of chaos, crisis and confusion

    UK voting system First-past-the-post

    Why is the UK still locked into an obsolete political system?

    Scottish Parliament Party seats

    People like to back the winning side

    Post Election Blues

    Post-election blues

    Labour Anas Sarwar cartoon

    The challenge for Labour in Scotland

    Hard Labour

    Hard Labour

    Edinburgh Military Tattoo mixed with EU symbol

    Great visionaries brought us two great institutions that made life better for Scots and Scotland

    Westminster Government

    Regimes are at their most dangerous in their death throes 

    Rupert Murdoch portrait

    Why Rupert Murdoch should support Scotland’s independence.

    Trending Tags

    • Equality
    • Johnson
    • Scottish National Party
  • Business
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Aviation
    • Corporations
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Fishing
    • Natural Resources
    • Shipbuilding
    • Trade
    • Transport
    • Workers
    Fish farming in the sea

    Scotland is getting SLAPPed!

    A crane in a port

    Forth and Clyde Drowned by the Thames and Mersey

    Scotland's green Freeport's

    Green freeports – gateway to sustainability or greenwashing with a tax avoidance cherry?

    Salmon covered by sea lice

    Anyone for sea lice risotto?

    Bakkafrost Barge

    The Story of the Bakkafrost Barge Sinking

    Fish farm in Scotland

    A deeper dive into the history of Scottish fish farming

    Fish farms in a Scottish Loch

    How farmed salmon is produced – stage one

    Dead salmons

    Death in our waters

    Fish farming, Isle of Sky, Loch Ainort

    Fish Farming in Scotland 

    Trending Tags

    • Health
      • All
      • Assisted dying
      • Covid
      • Influenza
      • Polio virus
      • Respiratory
      • Scientific Research
      Illustration of an antibiotic running away from bacteria depicting antibiotic resistance

      Antibiotic resistance – a major global public health threat

      Slogan Still Home from Clinically Vulnerable Families group

      Covid-19 lockdown continues for many in the UK

      Tree representing lungs

      Where are the areas in Scotland most affected by lung conditions?

      Health service

      Funding the Scottish Health Service 

      A goose surrounded by avian flu

      Who is knocking our doors? A putative new pandemic?

      A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

      The Ethiopia Medical Project

      Healthcare word seen in a scrabble

      “Leave no one behind” – the Health Foundation’s report into health inequalities in Scotland 2023.

      Sign saying NHS Greater Galsgow & Clyde in front of a hospital building

      Concern over patients waiting in corridors for free beds at Glasgow Superhospital

      A hospital corridor with trolleys on the sides.

      Glasgow hospitals halt non-urgent operations due to pressure

      Trending Tags

      • Environment
        • All
        • Air Pollution
        • Biology
        • Climate Change
        • Wildfires
        Fish farming in the sea

        Scotland is getting SLAPPed!

        Balblair substation

        Desecrating the glens: the relentless march of the industrial triffids

        Salmon covered by sea lice

        Anyone for sea lice risotto?

        Diagram representing circular economy

        Local Authorities, communities and the circular economy

        Bakkafrost Barge

        The Story of the Bakkafrost Barge Sinking

        Fish farm in Scotland

        A deeper dive into the history of Scottish fish farming

        Fish farms in a Scottish Loch

        How farmed salmon is produced – stage one

        Dead salmons

        Death in our waters

        Fish farming, Isle of Sky, Loch Ainort

        Fish Farming in Scotland 

        Trending Tags

        • Opinion
        No Result
        View All Result
        • Home
        • News
          • All
          • Bylines Scotland Breaking News
          • Europe
          • King Charles III
          • Queen Elizabeth II
          • Scotland
          • War in Ukraine
          • World
          Go Dharmic charity with Martin Dover

          Putting compassion into action – Coronation Champion Award winner Martin Dover leads the way.

          Police Investigation

          There’s been a murder

          Heart of NHS

          Back to the future: staff training in NHS Scotland

          Women health inequalities represented by a heart and a cardiogram

          Women’s Health in Scotland: challenges and progress

          Oil in Scotland

          Oil, Margaret Thatcher and Dinnae Mess Wi Us

          Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh

          Scotland’s Road to Devolution

          Poverty in Scotland

          Poverty in Scotland 2022

          NHS Scotland

          A Healthcare System that delivers for people?

          Scottish political calls

          Liberté, égalité, fraternité

          Trending Tags

          • Democracy
          • Devolution
          • Brexit
          • Ukraine
        • Politics
          • All
          • Council Areas
          • Europe
          • Holyrood
          • Liz Truss
          • Rest of UK
          • Tories
          • United Kingdom
          • Westminster
          • World
          Leadership melting down in the UK

          Cabinet of chaos, crisis and confusion

          UK voting system First-past-the-post

          Why is the UK still locked into an obsolete political system?

          Scottish Parliament Party seats

          People like to back the winning side

          Post Election Blues

          Post-election blues

          Labour Anas Sarwar cartoon

          The challenge for Labour in Scotland

          Hard Labour

          Hard Labour

          Edinburgh Military Tattoo mixed with EU symbol

          Great visionaries brought us two great institutions that made life better for Scots and Scotland

          Westminster Government

          Regimes are at their most dangerous in their death throes 

          Rupert Murdoch portrait

          Why Rupert Murdoch should support Scotland’s independence.

          Trending Tags

          • Equality
          • Johnson
          • Scottish National Party
        • Business
          • All
          • Agriculture
          • Aviation
          • Corporations
          • Energy
          • Finance
          • Fishing
          • Natural Resources
          • Shipbuilding
          • Trade
          • Transport
          • Workers
          Fish farming in the sea

          Scotland is getting SLAPPed!

          A crane in a port

          Forth and Clyde Drowned by the Thames and Mersey

          Scotland's green Freeport's

          Green freeports – gateway to sustainability or greenwashing with a tax avoidance cherry?

          Salmon covered by sea lice

          Anyone for sea lice risotto?

          Bakkafrost Barge

          The Story of the Bakkafrost Barge Sinking

          Fish farm in Scotland

          A deeper dive into the history of Scottish fish farming

          Fish farms in a Scottish Loch

          How farmed salmon is produced – stage one

          Dead salmons

          Death in our waters

          Fish farming, Isle of Sky, Loch Ainort

          Fish Farming in Scotland 

          Trending Tags

          • Health
            • All
            • Assisted dying
            • Covid
            • Influenza
            • Polio virus
            • Respiratory
            • Scientific Research
            Illustration of an antibiotic running away from bacteria depicting antibiotic resistance

            Antibiotic resistance – a major global public health threat

            Slogan Still Home from Clinically Vulnerable Families group

            Covid-19 lockdown continues for many in the UK

            Tree representing lungs

            Where are the areas in Scotland most affected by lung conditions?

            Health service

            Funding the Scottish Health Service 

            A goose surrounded by avian flu

            Who is knocking our doors? A putative new pandemic?

            A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

            The Ethiopia Medical Project

            Healthcare word seen in a scrabble

            “Leave no one behind” – the Health Foundation’s report into health inequalities in Scotland 2023.

            Sign saying NHS Greater Galsgow & Clyde in front of a hospital building

            Concern over patients waiting in corridors for free beds at Glasgow Superhospital

            A hospital corridor with trolleys on the sides.

            Glasgow hospitals halt non-urgent operations due to pressure

            Trending Tags

            • Environment
              • All
              • Air Pollution
              • Biology
              • Climate Change
              • Wildfires
              Fish farming in the sea

              Scotland is getting SLAPPed!

              Balblair substation

              Desecrating the glens: the relentless march of the industrial triffids

              Salmon covered by sea lice

              Anyone for sea lice risotto?

              Diagram representing circular economy

              Local Authorities, communities and the circular economy

              Bakkafrost Barge

              The Story of the Bakkafrost Barge Sinking

              Fish farm in Scotland

              A deeper dive into the history of Scottish fish farming

              Fish farms in a Scottish Loch

              How farmed salmon is produced – stage one

              Dead salmons

              Death in our waters

              Fish farming, Isle of Sky, Loch Ainort

              Fish Farming in Scotland 

              Trending Tags

              • Opinion
              No Result
              View All Result
              Bylines Scotland
              No Result
              View All Result
              Home Rights and Freedoms Gender Recognition Reform Bill

              Gender Recognition Reform Bill no longer about gender recognition if London blocks Royal assent

              Following a noisy passage through the Holyrood parliament, Scotland's Gender Recognition Bill faces a controversial threat from London to stop Royal Assent

              Martin RochebyMartin Roche
              31-12-2022 07:00
              in Gender Recognition Reform Bill
              March and rally outside the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), 5 September 2022 in support of Trans rights. Picture by Kat Cary, used with permission.

              March and rally outside the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), 5 September 2022 in support of Trans rights. Picture by Kat Cary, used with permission.

              997
              VIEWS
              Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

              Just before the Christmas recess, the Scottish Parliament voted for the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. It passed with a majority of 47. The final stage of the legislative process should see King Charles IlI signing the bill to make it an act, at which point it becomes the law of Scotland.

              Except, the bill may never reach the Royal desk.

              Alister Jack, the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland (SoS) has let it be known that he may invoke Article 35 of The Scotland Act. Article 35, which has never before been used, empowers the SoS to intervene in the affairs of the Holyrood parliament if there are:

              “reasonable grounds to believe that legislation would be incompatible with any international obligations or the interests of defence or national security, or

              “which make modifications of the law as it applies to reserved matters and which the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe would have an adverse effect on the operation of the law as it applies to reserved matters.”

              The London government says the new Scottish legislation may affect existing UK-wide equality law. The Scottish government says this is not the case. London now has under three weeks to decide if it will block Royal Assent.

              You can just about envision the theme song to Rocky

              So, only a handful of weeks after the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) ruled in London’s favour over which parliament has the right to call an independence referendum, the constitutional boxing gloves are back on.

              Should London be moved to stop the gender recognition reform bill, the response of the Scottish government is already known. First, it will challenge the move in the Supreme Court, arguing that:

              • Holyrood acted entirety legally
              • It has the powers to legislate on Scottish domestic matters
              • The UK government is wrong to assert that the Scottish legislation may negatively affect people in England.

              That’s the legal and constitutional stuff.

              It’s not just the people of Scotland; the whole world is watching

              If you like real meat on your political plate, it’s the second element of the Scottish government’s strategy that has the potential to derail London’s case and score a big win for the independence cause, even if the court rule in London’s favour. It is the simple matter of democracy.

              Edinburgh will put its democracy case to the courts, though much more importantly it will take its argument to the people of Scotland and to the democratic world beyond the narrow shores of the UK.

              It will keep repeating there is no foundation for the UK government stopping the gender recognition reform bill becoming the law of Scotland. All the time it will tell the world that Scottish democracy is being frustrated by London for Tory party political reasons and to weaken the forces campaigning for independence.

              The independence cause will build on the outrage felt in Scotland when the UKSC trashed Holyrood’s contention that it had been given a democratic mandate by Scotland’s voters to hold an independence referendum. Scotland’s government was dismissed with a palpably arrogant swat by the Supreme Court bench, the judgement made even less palatable to Edinburgh for it being given by the Scottish judge who presides over the UKSC.

              Edinburgh march in support of trans rights head down the Royal Mile towards the Scottish Parliament. Picture by the author and used with permission
              LGBTQ+

              Edinburgh march and rally showed support for trans equality

              byKat Cary
              13 September 2022

              The blow-back from the UKSC ruling shook the 314-year-old union

              But the fall out from the UKSC ruling had exactly the opposite effect the unionist parties wanted. They had imagined that the blow to the standing of the Scottish Parliament would persuade large numbers of Scots to abandon thoughts of a second independence referendum and lose interest in the ‘constitutional question’, as the independence argument is often known by its opponents.

              What happened was a surge in support for independence. Five polls have been conducted since the UKSC ruling. Each has given a healthy majority to the independence side. Indeed, one poll recorded 56% in favour. None had less than 53% for a Yes to independence vote. Such high figures have not been seen before.

              Scotland felt itself being treated as a London plaything, that London was blocking any democratic route to Scotland deciding its own destiny. The UKSC rubbed Scotland up the wrong way. Ancient feelings of nationhood bubbled up and resentment at perceived English arrogance saw many Scots ask themselves if the 314-year-old union has run its course.

              Much of Scotland – even some on the pro-union side – feel Scotland is simply not being listened to by London. Scotland, they say, was completely ignored when 62% of its voters chose to remain in the EU. Scotland, they argue, has been shown by the UKSC’s rejection of the Scottish government’s referendum case, to have no legal route to decide its own constitutional future. Now, far away London is considering a direct challenge to the democratic legitimacy of Holyrood. Enough is enough is the cry more and more frequently heard across Scotland.

              England telling Scotland what to do has never been a productive approach for Scotland’s Tories. The country has not given the Conservatives a majority of its MPs since 1956. In the Thatcher years there was a time when not a single Tory MP could be found north of the border. The next general election is already looking bad for The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. All six of their seats are forecast to fall to the SNP.

              It won’t be a matter of sexual and gender equality that will change the game, but the trampling on Scotland’s democracy. Rishi Sunak and his Scottish Secretary would be wrong to think that the current debate around gender equality can be weaponised to save the Union. Scots, like people worldwide, tend to get indignant if their self-respect is trodden on by clumsy feet.

              History, pride, democracy

              Many Scots who don’t agree with this bill, or indeed Nicola Sturgeon, will not take well to London intervention. Evidence of that can be found on the Boxing Day letters page of The Times. A Tom Tindle of Callander, Perth and Kinross, wrote that he is not a supporter of Scottish independence and has “grave concerns about the new gender law. It is though,” he went on to say, “unacceptable for the UK government to consider a veto. Westminster must respect the sovereignty of our devolved parliament.”

              It’s a matter of history.

              It’s a matter of pride.

              It’s a matter of democracy.

              The dam of union will not hold forever if Scotland’s democracy is regularly weakened by ill-thought London tactics.


              We need your help! The press in our country is dominated by billionaire-owned media, many offshore and avoiding paying tax. We are a citizen journalism publication but still have significant costs. If you believe in what we do, please consider subscribing to the Bylines Gazette 🙏

              Tags: DemocracyDevolutionGender Recognition ReformRoyal AccentScotlandSection 35ToriesUKSC
              Previous Post

              Battle on St Andrew’s Day: Culblean and the Scottish Wars of Independence

              Next Post

              The hard right has lost the public on Brexit – prepare for a vicious backlash

              Martin Roche

              Martin Roche

              Aged 15, Martin began his working life on a Scottish evening newspaper. He then ran his family business before reading politics and international relations at Aberdeen University, as a mature student. He worked in London in investment promotion attraction for Scottish development agencies, followed by a 35-year career in international PR consultancy. He has been a columnist on African Leadership magazine, commenting on geopolitics, a regular contributor to foreign direct investment media and has written for business publications worldwide. He recently returned to Scotland. He lives in Glasgow.

              Related Posts

              No Content Available
              Next Post
              Image by Malcom Laverty

              The hard right has lost the public on Brexit – prepare for a vicious backlash

              PLEASE SUPPORT OUR CROWDFUNDER

              Subscribe to our newsletters
              CHOOSE YOUR NEWS
              Follow us on social media
              CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORMS
              Download our app
              ALL OF BYLINES IN ONE PLACE
              Subscribe to our gazette
              CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SUSTAINABILITY
              Make a monthly or one-off donation
              DONATE NOW
              Help us with our hosting costs
              SIGN UP TO SITEGROUND
              We are always looking for citizen journalists
              WRITE FOR US
              Volunteer as an editor, in a technical role, or on social media
              VOLUNTEER FOR US
              Something else?
              GET IN TOUCH
              Previous slide
              Next slide

              LATEST

              Packed Scottish books to read during holidays

              Great Scottish books to enjoy

              9 June 2023
              EU flags

              The EU powers ahead, and, as UK political leaders wallow, voters swing towards closer European ties

              5 June 2023
              Liberal Democrats versus the independence mind of Church of Scotland

              Its universities and Protestant church built Scotland’s liberal democracy

              2 June 2023
              Young activist LGBQT+

              Survey reveals half of young LGBTQ+ Scots have had suicidal thoughts

              1 June 2023

              MOST READ

              Image by the author

              Currency in an independent Scotland – just the facts

              19 November 2022
              Packed Scottish books to read during holidays

              Great Scottish books to enjoy

              9 June 2023
              Police Investigation

              There’s been a murder

              26 May 2023
              A thistle flowerr

              Is it time tae think again about Flower of Scotland?

              3 February 2023

              BROWSE BY TAGS

              Books Brexit Christmas ClimateChange Covid Covid19 Culture Defence Democracy Devolution election FishFarms Glasgow Halloween health History Holyrood independence IndyRef2 Johnson Journalism Labour LGBT+ Liz Truss Monarchy NATO NHS Nicola Sturgeon politics Poverty Pro-EU Public Health Putin Russia Sars-CoV-2 Scotland Security and Defence shipbuilding SNP Sunak Tories Twitter Ukraine UK Supreme Court War in Ukraine
              Bylines Scotland

              We are a not-for-profit citizen journalism publication. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in Scotland and beyond.

              Bylines Scotland is a trading brand of Bylines Network Limited, which is a partner organisation to Byline Times.

              Learn more about us

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Network
              • About
              • Authors
              • Contact
              • Donate
              • Privacy

              © 2023 Bylines Scotland. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Home
              • News
                • Scotland
                • World
              • Politics
                • Council Areas
                • Europe
                • Holyrood
                • Rest of UK
                • Westminster
              • Business
                • Fishing
                • Trade
                • Transport
              • Health
              • Environment
                • Climate Change
              • Opinion
              • Donate
              • Newsletter sign up
              CROWDFUNDER

              © 2023 Bylines Scotland. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              Welcome Back!

              Login to your account below

              Forgotten Password?

              Retrieve your password

              Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

              Log In