Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

They’re spending £470 million on bike lanes. But sure. https://t.co/XWDagMrFpB — Brian Spella (@BrianSpanner1) September 29, 2022 So the latest news from Glasgow is that the City Council is effectively raising a mortgage on some of our best known buildings to pay for its ongoing obligations on equal pay. Yet the Council is doing so without any help from Scottish Ministers whose public spending watchdog (Accounts Commission) concluded that SNP Ministers and local government both shared responsibility for the 'decade long failure of leadership over equal pay' between 2007-2017. And SNP ministers, as everyone knows, have been cutting the budgets of Scotland's local councils for years!   Glasgow's Fight For Equal Pay ( August 12, 2022 ) My contacts in Glasgow City Council (GCC) tell me that furious activity is taking place behind the scenes to identify more council owned property to use as collateral against another big loan - so the council can meet its obligations on equa

'What is a woman?' is a question some folks find troubling - including politicians who ought to know better. But for the vast majority of reasonable people the answer is very obvious and straightforward.

Excellent thread from Sonya Douglas which explains why women demand single sex spaces - and why men ought to respect women's boundaries.   Instead of taking creepy photos of themselves and sharing the images on social media.

My daughter sent me this. Manchester University. Why do women have to give way and always loose ground to men? How is this just not less provision for females and more for males? pic.twitter.com/19xJFMPrMI — Tutting Maud (@TuttingM) September 28, 2022 Women are understandably concerned about men (biological males) sharing their private spaces. So why did Manchester University not take the obvious step and turn the gents into a unisex toilet?   Good Question! ( July 24, 2022 ) Yvonne Ridley asks a good question about toilets. Why are women's toilets (as in this example) open to everyone and anyone - when it would seem much easier and more sensible to designate male toilets as 'unisex'? 

In terms of a selection contest for a safe Labour seat Eddie Izzard represents the same old male entitlement - heaped on top of celebrity entitlement. Check your privilege Brother Izzard!  

Eddie Izzard using the Ladies toilets. pic.twitter.com/LuWug3DWou — Bill Moon (@BigBillMoon) September 29, 2022 Eddie Izzard is a man not a woman - so why doesn't he just do the right thing and respect women's spaces? It's not much to ask. Check Your Privilege, Bro! ( September 08, 2022 ) In terms of a selection contest for a safe Labour seat Eddie Izzard represents the same old male entitlement - heaped on top of celebrity entitlement. Check your privilege Brother Izzard!    

‘Scotland should be seen as a nation where business is conducted openly and honestly. The Ferguson scandal places all of that at risk’ writes Magnus Linklater in Comment https://t.co/kWzspi3QTE — TimesEditorScotland (@magnusllewellin) September 29, 2022 Here's an excellent summary of Scotland's great ferries scandal by Magnus Linklater in The Times. "What no one knew at the time, however, was that Ferguson Marine was allowed to go ahead with its bid despite being unable to provide evidence of a builders refund guarantee. That, as the auditor-general has previously made clear, is an absolutely standard financial safeguard. That, to me, smacks of a stitch-up." Magnus wrote his piece before the latest bombshell announcement that ferry costs have soared again taking the total to nearly £340 million - from the original total of just £97 million. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...........chances are it's a duck.  

In campaign mode the SNP are fulsome in their support for openness and transparency, but in government it's a whole different story. Public money has been wasted on a mammoth scale yet SNP ministers insist 'there's nothing to see here'. If Conservative politicians had been responsible for this terrible mess, the SNP would be demanding that heads must roll.  As things stand no one - not an official or a politician - has been held to account for this appalling, ongoing scandal.   

Sturgeon: 'no evidence' of criminality in ferries scandal https://t.co/9wFkH76UhF — Tom Gordon (@HTScotPol) September 28, 2022 'Well, she would say that, wouldn’t she?' - is the obvious retort to the First Minister (a trained lawyer) after publicly absolving her Government of any criminality in the ongoing scandal of Scotland's 'ghost ferries'.   But surely it would have been wise not to offer any opinion at all - instead of sending rather obvious a 'nothing to see here' message to the police and prosecuting authorities. I'm pretty sure when the Scottish Government referred the allegations of harassment against Alex Salmond to Police Scotland they didn't add - 'by the way, he's not guilty".  

People in the comments hyping him up?? 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/M9NDl7ll4C — Z`zow 🐇 (@Terf3zazo) September 27, 2022 Being a girl is awesome if you're a girl - not so much if you're a grown man making a complete mockery of what it's like to be both young and  female.       Girlhood Sham ( September 26, 2022 ) Fair comment - this ‘girlhood’ business is a grotesque, phoney and exploitative sham!      

Sturgeon: my government 'as transparent as possible' https://t.co/c34S7dlD8U — Tom Gordon (@HTScotPol) September 28, 2022 Nicola Sturgeon claims otherwise, but the SNP in government are about as transparent as a Stornaway black pudding!

If you missed our BBC Disclosure last night, The Great Ferries Scandal, in which a leaked dossier suggests a £100m ferry deal could have been rigged - it’s now on the ⁦ @BBCiPlayer ⁩ https://t.co/1AhzVz6nOT — Mark Daly (@BBCMarkDaly) September 28, 2022 Essential viewing if you have not already seen the BBC's Disclosure programme on Scotland's Great Ferries Scandal. Trigger warning - no one has been held to account for this terrible shamble despite the enormous cost to the public purse.  

All this tip-toeing around the feelings of  dangerous sex offenders   is making a complete mockery of the law and criminal justice system.    

Wow. This is insane. This is the Metro actually coming out guns blazing for a serial paedophile, and demonising people who refuse to call him a man as "transphobes". Look at that headline, it doesn't even mention that he raped kids! https://t.co/MO2srJzPme — Sam Morgan (@CrunchAlias) September 28, 2022 Newspaper strap lines can be powerful and even great fun, but this one from The Metro is a shocker - because there's nothing remotely 'phobic' in pointing out that a dangerous sex offender is a man.  

SNP ministers have rejected calls for detectives to investigate claims that a botched multi-million pound contract to build two ferries was rigged in favour of a shipyard that had been saved by a supporter of Scottish independence https://t.co/ZTF8Wekb85 — The Times and The Sunday Times Scotland (@timesscotland) September 27, 2022 In campaign mode the SNP are fulsome in their support for openness and transparency, but in government it's a whole different story. Public money has been wasted on a mammoth scale yet SNP ministers insist 'there's nothing to see here'. If Conservative politicians had been responsible for their terrible mess, the SNP would of course be demanding that heads must roll.  

I wonder if policing decisions in Sussex are being influenced by how far the force can climb up Stonewall's league table of 'top' employers? Gender Ideology and Sussex Police ( September 28, 2022 ) Sussex Police have been widely ridiculed for their crazy antics in support of gender ideology - which make the force look more than a tad unhinged.

7th Anniversary: Happy Ronnie Pickering Day. 👍🤣 pic.twitter.com/LppngCjwcZ — Marie-Ann Detests Tories & Brexit 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 (@MarieAnnUK) September 21, 2022 Comedy gold from Ronnie Pickering who seems like a bit of a dick, if you ask me.  

Christ on a bike, @sussex_police appear to have been hacked by someone who wants to irreparably destroy their reputation. #IsItSatire pic.twitter.com/tjUDiB2PA2 — Sam Barber (@SamBarber1910) September 27, 2022 Sussex Police have been widely ridiculed for their crazy antics in support of gender ideology - which make the force look more than a tad unhinged.

Thank you @sussex_police for protecting this child rapist from the trauma of being misgendered. ✊ pic.twitter.com/xRzUqGr3fA — Titania McGrath (@TitaniaMcGrath) September 27, 2022 All this tip-toeing around the feelings of  dangerous sex offenders   is making a complete mockery of the law and criminal justice system. Sally Ann Dixon does not have a gender recognition certificate. He is a man both in fact and in law. It is not hateful to recognise this. Women are entitled to say he is a man. You should stop discriminating on belief grounds before you get sued for it. https://t.co/s39L9JMGvz — Anya Palmer (@anyabike) September 27, 2022    

Full story by ⁦ @BBCMarkDaly ⁩ and team on BBC1 Scotland tonight at 8pm https://t.co/1JzdwsdB15 — Glenn Campbell (@GlennBBC) September 27, 2022 I might have to catch up with this BBC1 programme on the iPlayer, but it does seem like 'must watch' TV.   

That feeling when you face a couple of days not being able to moan about Jews and women. pic.twitter.com/vY9qtWk2z2 — Stephen Graham 🇺🇦 (@StephenCVGraham) September 25, 2022 Owen Jones had sadness in his eyes en route to the 2022 Labour conference, but just imagine how Corbyn's No 1 fanboy feels today as the party surges to a 17-point lead under Keir Starmer's leadership.    

“Trans Activism Is An Authoritarian Movement” : Gay Pride Founder Attacked At Vermont Pride https://t.co/fxKxkfYSJP pic.twitter.com/NaLX9sbqyW — Arielle Scarcella (@ArielleScarcell) September 25, 2022 Veteran gay rights activist Fred Sargeant was assaulted by trans activists at a recent event in Vermont - no wonder public opinion is turning against these bullies and zealots.