This is Northumberland Calling 17.2.23
When good people are silenced, bad things happen edition.
Nicola Sturgeon resigned this week, only a few weeks after saying she had a full tank. There is much speculation about why now. Was it the trans issue where she proclaimed there were 3 types of individuals – male, female and rapist? Was it the ferry scandal where the cost has now ballooned to £450 million and still no ferry (it was supposed to be £97 million), the ‘loan’ her husband gave to the SNP? The state of education? Was it her refusal to accept any other points of view and attempts to oust people from the SNP for expressing dissent? The Telegraph gives credit to JK Rowling and the Gender Critical women who refused to shut up.
It is unclear if the Gender Bill will be revived (they have until 17 APril to challenge the S 35 order) – something for the new First Minister, but the SNP National Council have decided the treating the next election as defacto referendum won’t happen. Just as well considering the polling.
The runners and riders are lining up for the election. The SNP has said that the only people who can vote are members of the party who were in good standing by last Wednesday evening. This eliminates many GC women who quit the party in disgust at the gender recognition bill. https://archive.is/G3UjA
The Hannah Barnes Time to Think book about the Tavistock has really made waves in the UK this week. It is currently sitting at number 3 on the Amazon pre-order best seller list as well as being lauded in the papers (except for the Guardian - -surprise, surprise). It would appear the majors in publishing should have listened to gut instincts and not their junior staffers as the book is doing better than they could have predicted.
Archived version of Suzanne Moore’s review of Time to Think https://archive.is/8b1d3
I want to put a huge shout out to Mark Richards and Swift Press who have published the book after all the major book publishers have passed. I did witness the co-chair of Pride in Publishing trying to get the book cancelled after the announcement appeared in the Bookseller. Or if not cancelled, certainly ignored. Thankfully people have not done so. Articles about the book have appeared on the front pages of the Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Private Eye, and the Daily Mail. Swift Press also publish the teacher Kate Clanchy whose memoir about teaching caused a huge cancellation storm which embroiled Sir Philip Pullman. Swift picked up Clanchy after she was unceremoniously dropped by her publisher.
And the censors in publishing are trying again with Victoria Smith’s new book Hags. They have not read the book but have already decided it is ‘transphobic’ or whatever phobia they are at one with today. Hags is about the erasure and demonization of middle-aged women. This is a sample from the co-chair of Pride in Publishing and a person who claims to be one of the best connected people in publishing --quote tweeted by the stalwart editor Ursula Doyle who also had enough backbone to publish Kathleen Stock’s book. One of the reasons the censors hate her and Fleet Books, an imprint of Little Brown who are owned by Hachette (one of the majors). Note she only had published one book on the question of gender ideology.
In order to understand the tweets for those people in the US, Britain has a problem with knife crime. Two teenagers were stabbed to death in the same twenty-four hours. Two weeks ago a teen in Hexham was murdered. One was a teen with gender dysmorphia. No prizes for guessing which teens have been memory holed (except by the family, friends and relations) and which teen has had vigils and die-ins. Despite the police begging for people not to speculate as to motive and stating early on that they did not believe it was a hate crime, certain sections of social media have been vocal in insisting on a hierarchy of death.
The Sandyford Clinic, the Scottish version of the scandal hit Tavistock has closed to new patients, very suddenly. The news came out hours before Sturgeon’s resignation. https://archive.is/wSFrJ
The SNP, no strangers to hypocrisy, have been selling branded whisky and other alcohol related products while trying to deprive others of doing the same. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/snps-hypocritical-whisky-branding-lr28bbk80
Sometimes you just have to fold your arms and say no – I refuse. Bravo to Richard Dawkins for saying he is going to continue using the words certain other scientists deemed problematic such as male and female as well as ‘survival of the fittest’ . https://archive.is/ZKC34
The Royal family are recycling the family jewels — Camilla will be crowned with Queen Mary’s crown, neatly sidestepping some of the more problematic jewels. -- https://www.royal.uk/queen-consort-crown-coronation
King Charles’s sacred robes were revealed and there was speculation on who will make the robe of state. My guess is Ede and Ravenscroft – they have most of this market sewn up, including making the gowns and wigs for barristers. They have been around for a long time. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/02/16/king-charles-iii-coronation-robes-revealed/
It is possible to download King Charles’s coronation emblem free of charge (say if you wanted to make bunting for an event) . https://www.royal.uk/coronation-emblem
And my editor let me know that she has accepted my manuscript which will be published in September 2023 —A Viking Heir to Bind Them and actioned the final payment of my advance. It never gets old.
What a week across the pond. It seems as if there is a small light at the end of a long dark tunnel. Thanks for your report!