Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

I am reliably informed by my friend Gregg that the recent disruption to egg supplies is down to hens self-identifying as roosters. Great fun, but about as believable as all this baloney about grown men like Dylan Mulvaney magically transforming themselves into young girls.     

Trans students made themselves look ridiculous by trying to stop Kathleen Stock from speaking at the Oxford Union - a bastion of free speech and fiery debate over the years. If the trans crazies had got their way, I'm sure they'd have put Doc Stock 'in the stock' for arguing against the absurd notion that men can just magically declare themselves to be women - with the right to occupy women's single sex spaces.

One of the students who tried to prevent Kathleen Stock from speaking at the Oxford Union had the quite brilliant idea of gluing her hand or her arse (or something) to the floor of the debating chamber. But surely it would have been much more appropriate and symbolic to have glued her fingers into her ears?  

Kathleen Stock arrives at the Oxford Union looking calm and collected. Meanwhile a student rabble tries to disrupt and drown out her message that men who self-identify as women are still men. What a waste of an expensive education.

The final moments in the life of Jill Barclay, an oil firm engineer and mother of two, were so horrific that detectives who were veterans of numerous homicide investigations were visibly shaken https://t.co/nGy2rtGyAY — The Times and The Sunday Times Scotland (@timesscotland) May 28, 2023 Sandra Macdonald, a local councillor and member of the Aberdeen Women’s Alliance, says what most Scots think about the barbaric murder of Jill Barclay. “I cannot comprehend how the man who did this to Jill received a lesser sentence because he was under 25. People of that age are perfectly capable of knowing right from wrong. They are aware that raping, murdering and setting fire to someone, while they are still alive, goes way beyond depravity and hatred.” Humza Yousaf is talking nonsense when he says that he and other politicians cannot comment on the operation of this reduced sentence policy.  Parliaments make the law, review the law and change the law where necessary - judges apply the law and if

It's terrible to think that Scotland's justice system   gives a    violent man a lighter sentence due to his 'young age and early guilty plea' after he attacked, raped and murdered a woman - a wife and mother - whom he set on fire while she was still alive. Life should mean life for dangerous, cowardly, savage men like Rhys Bennett.

'What does this person know about track and field athletics? The advantage trans women have over biological women is unequivocal. We need to have a proper conversation about inclusion for all in sport that does not disadvantage women. ⁦ @sharrond62 ⁩ https://t.co/8Gw6bIFrsI — Brian Whittle OLY (@BrianWhittle) May 24, 2023 Brian Whittle - an Olympic athlete, European Champion and Commonwealth medallist - says the advantage men have in women's sport is unequivocal. Heidi Vistisen from LEAP (Leadership, Equality, and Active Participation) Scotland doesn't look the sporty type to me, but she insists that trans competitors (ie men) have no advantage in women's competitions.  LEAP is yet another organisation which receives public money to promote the absurd notion that men taking part in women's sport is just 'tickety-boo' - when it's an affront to sporting values and fair competition. 

If I were thinking seriously about fostering, the last thing I'd do is to promote my suitability and commitment all over the newspapers. It's a serious business after all - stability and the needs of the child always come first. I can't imagine there are many successful attention-seeking foster carers who have giant egos and are full of their own self-importance.   

The SNP has a terrible track record when it comes to dealing sex pests - the ongoing saga with Patrick Grady MP continues while a new row has erupted over the treatment of SNP whistleblowers in North Lanarkshire Council  SNP - Punishing Victims, Protecting Sex Pests ( March 12, 2023 ) The SNP's Westminster sex pest, Patrick Grady (a Glasgow MP), was  recently welcomed back into the party fold - while his victim was forced out of his job having been 'sent to Coventry' after raising his complaint.  

The SNP has been sitting on this powder keg for years, but the scandal is engulfing the party under Humza Yousaf's watch. "The SNP first learned teenagers had made sex abuse allegations against Jordan Linden seven years ago. Had they been taken seriously, there is every chance a horrifying catalogue of harassment and grooming claims which are now the subject of a police investigation could have been avoided."  

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell is to face police questioning in a major probe into shamed sex pest ­councillor Jordan Linden https://t.co/Sd5qcf3riy — Sunday Mail (@Sunday_Mail) May 28, 2023 Seems Peter Murrell, the SNP's former ch ief executive, is to be questioned by the police as they investigate the shamed sex pest, Cllr Jordan Linden, former SNP Leader of North Lanarkshire Council.    Quite right too since the affair was reportedly brought to the SNP's attention seven years ago. You'd think the police would want to question the party leader as well, given that the buck stop with Murrell's boss - Nicola Sturgeon.

So Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has decided not to launch a formal investigation into his Home Secretary's conduct after consulting with his independent ethics adviser. Meanwhile in Scotland Humza Yousaf doesn't have an independent ethics adviser - because the First Minister is judge and jury when it comes to the behaviour of his fellow ministers. I've had a response from Humza Yousaf to my complaint about Patrick Harvie which I'll share in the next day or so. Ministerial Codes - Holyrood vs Westminster ( May 22, 2023 ) Two government ministers at Westminster (Nadhim Zahawi and Dominic Rabb) have been forced to resign recently after being referred to the Prime Minister's independent ethics adviser. Which suggests the system of accountability has teeth. Meanwhile in Scotland the First Minister remains 'judge and jury' in complaints about the ministerial code. Which means the odds at Holyrood are stacked in favour political convenience rather than good governmen

Here's the letter I received from the First Minister in response to my complaint about Patrick Harvie and Scotland's Ministerial Code. So Humza Yousaf is saying that Harvie's personal conduct, as a minister, has nothing to do with him as First Minister. Yet his predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon, forced her Finance Secretary (Derek Mackay) to resign over personal, private text messages to a 16-year-old schoolboy. Poor judgment, but nothing illegal - as Phillip Schofield might argue? So I think I shall write again to Mr Yousaf because he is turning a blind eye to a constituent being cancelled and blacklisted by a member of the Scottish Government.  

The co-leader of the Scottish Greens has branded a veteran SNP MSP an "angry old man" following a spate of attacks on his party https://t.co/5do0KOrITF — The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) May 27, 2023 Fergus Ewing seems to be getting under Patrick Harvie's skin with his perfectly reasonable criticism of Green inspired ScotGov policies, eg - men declaring themselves to be women and Lorna Slater's ruinous deposit return scheme. But that's no excuse for Harvie's ageist slur in calling Fergus an 'angry old man' - what has the SNP MSP's age got to do with anything? I mean Pat's no oil painting, so I think it's fair to say, he's likely to come off worse if the childish insults continue. 

Deposit return scheme is dead thru’ epic mismanagement. If Yousaf had any sense he’d sack Lorna Slater and stop the Green tail wagging the dog. SNP members would rejoice. https://t.co/XqYKS2qI7O — Iain Macwhirter (@iainmacwhirter) May 29, 2023 Lorna Slater is reportedly fuming at the collapse of her ruinous deposit return scheme, but this demonstrates the SNP's recklessness in creating non-jobs out of thin air for inexperienced Green politicians - driven by ideology rather than finding practical solutions. Iain Macwhirter hits the nail on the head in his column for the Times. "However, it is surely not sensible politics to try to blame Westminster for a mess that has been so obviously made in Scotland. Devolution was supposed to deliver Scottish solutions to Scottish problems, not create them."    Lorna Slater has accused Westminster of blocking Scotland’s controversial deposit return scheme “at every turn” https://t.co/7gsoLUllAn — The Times and The Sunday Times Scot

The wackadoodle Greens are a preachy lot and love telling everyone else how to behave, yet here's Lorna Slater using private healthcare to avoid lengthy waiting times for NHS treatment.   Lorna, at least, has the money to get the treatment she needs, but what about all those waiting for years to have a cataract operation, a hip or knee replacement - see post below on Scotland's two-tier health service?

Humza Yousaf gets it in the neck over two-year-long waiting lists for orthopaedic surgery - and rightly so. But things are just as bad, worse even, for cataract surgery where it takes a year just to get on the waiting list and two more to have you eyesight restored. No wonder people are turning to private healthcare for NHS treatment - including Scottish Government Green minister Lorna Slater, of course. Scotland's Failing Health Service ( January 24, 2022 ) You heard it here first, but I'm pleased to see The Daily Record calling out Scotland's failing health service which was failing long before Covid came along of course - see post below dated 09/12/21 'Scotland's Failing Health Service, SNP and Porkie Pies'. According to my information (from a family member) waiting times are even longer - a year just to get on the waiting list followed by another two year wait to have your eyesight restored.     https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/92-week-wait-n