This is Northumberland Calling 15.03.24

The tide turns in England edition

Hello America (particularly Central Ohio), this is Northumberland calling

England took a big step forward this week in recognising the scandal surrounding the medicalisation of the children with gender dysphoria when the NHS England decided to ban routine prescription of puberty blockers earlier this week. They are still not banned for private clinic or in Scotland. But the reviewing body of NHS England did not see the benefits or indeed the rigorous research which backed their use.

The UK Government’s Advisor on the prevention of suicide, Prof Louis Appleby,  in a significant intervention  stated yesterday that trans activists and others must stop invoking the prevention of suicide as a reason for transition, particularly in the use of puberty blockers. There is apparently very little evidence that it does prevent suicides and that it was deeply insensitive to parents whose teenagers had committed suicide. The evidence which does exist is weak. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/14/transgender-activists-suicide-puberty-blockers-debate-stop/  or https://archive.is/I47Ga

Today sees the 2^nd reading of Liz Truss’s bill which seeks to ban puberty blockers from private clinics, and state that sex means biological sex etc. It is unlikely to succeed unless the Government gets behind it (Breaking the Government could back the reforms —from the Telegraph Live Politics 9:47Kemi Badenoch, the Equalities Minister, is understood to be sympathetic to proposals from the former prime minister, due to potentially be debated in the Commons today, that would “define sex in law as biological sex”. The Cabinet minister is said to regard Ms Truss’s current proposals as “unworkable” and could look to amend them. A Government source said: “Kemi is very supportive of the aims of Liz’s Bill but it is unworkable in its current form. “Nonetheless it can support Kemi’s work on the definition of sex, and colleagues’ work banning puberty blockers, and Liz is keen to help.” ) . The above article does give some detail about what it contains. It is good that Truss is now fighting for this. Would that she realised the danger when she was actually women and equalities minister… This op ed from Suella Bravermann explains: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/13/fix-equality-act-restore-sanity-to-trans-debate/ or https://archive.is/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/13/fix-equality-act-restore-sanity-to-trans-debate/

A group of parents is going to the High Court today to seek a judicial review of the soft stance the Department of Education has taken on the whole trans issue. They claim it is indoctrination.  Who knows if they will succeed or not, but it is interesting the case is being brought. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/15/the-evil-trans-ideology-is-in-retreat-at-last/ or https://archive.is/CXqyT

A new definition of extremism has been published by the Government. It is hoped that it can deal with Islamist  and far right extremism. It remains to be seen if it actually does or if it is weaponized against other groups. It is mainly to prevent people who are in extreme groups from influencing government policy as they have been able to in the past. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/14/michael-gove-extremism-definition-free-speech/ or https://archive.is/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/14/michael-gove-extremism-definition-free-speech/

However in Scotland, things are less positive. Obviously they now permit puberty blockers which the NHS England has banned. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scotland-stands-grotesquely-alone-in-allowing-puberty-blockers-5vtsdvhfp or https://archive.is/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scotland-stands-grotesquely-alone-in-allowing-puberty-blockers-5vtsdvhfp

1 April will see the start of the Hate Crime enforcement, and Police Scotland have vowed to log every Hate incident, even if it is not a crime. Places one can go to make a complaint include a sex shop, a mushroom farm and caravan parks. (As if the police did not have enough to do investigating actual crime) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/report-hate-crimes-at-sex-shops-and-caravan-parks-ntj6vfvgn or https://archive.is/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/report-hate-crimes-at-sex-shops-and-caravan-parks-ntj6vfvgn

Creative Scotland had to backtrack and request their money back when it turned out they had funded a hard core porn film. They claim the company altered their brief after the application was approved…they have not provided proof that this is what happened.  https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/creative-scotland-withdraws-funding-for-hardcore-sex-show-jt8c75gk6 or https://archive.is/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/creative-scotland-withdraws-funding-for-hardcore-sex-show-jt8c75gk6

The ferries in Scotland remain in a mess. The summer timetable is a joke.  The Islay Whiskey Festival will not have additional ferries laid on. The Whiskey festival is when Islay is overrun with whiskey enthusiasts who wish to try the limited batch whiskeys which are always produced (these are the numbered bottles which command huge prices at auctions, the lower the number the better – the lady who owns the cottage which we regularly rent on Islay financed her knee operation through selling several bottles she had collected when she worked for Bowmore). https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/set-a-course-for-the-ferry-service-islands-deserve-lkc5n6x9z or https://archive.is/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/set-a-course-for-the-ferry-service-islands-deserve-lkc5n6x9z

If you became intrigued looking for clues for the Princess of Wales’s health in the photoshopped Mothering Sunday photo, perhaps the new puzzle from GCHQ to try to increase recruitment will intrigue – find the 13 letters hidden within the painting and unscramble them to work out a phrase. The clues are in a variety of alphabets and do require lateral thinking. A bottle of water = French eau = O for instance. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/14/did-you-crack-the-gchq-puzzle-spy-agency-reveals-all/  or https://archive.is/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/14/did-you-crack-the-gchq-puzzle-spy-agency-reveals-all/

Cat politics — opaque to all except the cats

Here I remain working at the coal face of the word mines – some days are better than others. Paddy is learning at his class and does seem to have adjusted to being an only dog. The cats are being far friendlier. It has been grey and wet which has sort of put Spring on hold. Hopefully everyone did have a great week and please know that I do appreciate your comments.

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