/qnotables23/ - ===Q Notables 2023===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20699520 (090135ZAPR24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / BINSANITY Thousands of Scots face fines as council staff trained to rake through your rubbish

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/money/12430340/thousands-scots-face-fines-council-trained-rake-through-bins/

BINSANITY Thousands of Scots face fines as council staff trained to rake through your rubbish

Local authorities will soon be given more power to fine people who don't use their bins correctly

Paige Beresford

7 Apr 2024

THOUSANDS of Scots face getting slapped with a fine for putting the wrong rubbish into their recycling bins.

Bin collectors are now being specially trained to go through rubbish - and report households who put items in the wrong bins.

According to The Sunday Post, new legislation will give local authorities the power to fine homeowners who break the rules with their rubbish.

The crackdown is part of the Scottish Government's Circular Economy Bill, which was published last year, that aims to help the country's environmental performance.

And it is set to pass through Holyrood before it is introduced as law across the different Scottish councils.

New guidelines are also being drawn up which will outline the "reasonable enforcement" that local authorities should use for those who break the rules.

This includes a household being issued with warning letters and then fines before a threat of prosecution.

A person is considered to have broken the rules if they put items in the wrong bin, for example putting garden waste into a general waste bin or glass bottles into the bin for plastics.

Anyone who does this can be hit with a fixed penalty notice.

Other measures include charges for single-use items, for example, the latte levy on throwaway coffee cups.

New fines are also being introduced for anyone who is caught throwing rubbish from their cars.

It comes after recent figures showed that almost a fifth of recycling rubbish picked up by bin collectors is actually non-recyclable.

Speaking to The Sunday Post, Lorna Slater said: "Guidance on the approach to enforcement will be created in consultation with local authorities to indicate reasonable enforcement steps local authorities must take, and scenarios for when written warnings, penalty charges, and/or penalty notices may be issued."

Exact details of how this would be carried out were not provided, however, it was hinted that it would follow guidance [provided to councils in England.

This involves a number of steps to be taken before any penalties can be issued, including written warnings and a final notice.

Ms Slater added that these powers should be used "after other options to engage with householders have been attempted".

She said: "The primary focus is to make the right choices easier for households and to support and enable householders to make positive changes to behaviours".

As it stands, Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 states homeowners must ensure rubbish goes into the correct bin.

And bin collectors are ordered not to collect rubbish that is put in the wrong bin and instead are told to put a sticker on the bin.

This means homeowners have time to fix the problem, but can't have their bins emptied until their next collection date.

The new Bill will allow any "authorised officer of a waste collection authority" to look through the rubbish and issue fines to those who are in breach of Section 46.

Local authorities around the county have told The Sunday Post that they plan to wait until it is introduced before it implements the new rules.

However, bosses at Glasgow City Council have confirmed that it is introducing "a contamination policy" in the meantime.

This will see bin collectors trained to "detect and record contamination of recycling bins".

But Scottish Tories has warned that the new bill comes with flaws that could see homeowners unfairly prosecuted.

For example, if someone puts the wrong rubbish in someone else's bin that is sitting out.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We want to create a circular economy, in which resources are kept in use for as long as possible.

"The Circular Economy Bill will establish the legislative framework to support that, including giving Ministers the powers to introduce statutory targets that would help achieve our goals.

“The Bill is currently at Stage 2 and Ministers are working closely with Parliament and stakeholders, including local authorities, to ensure that it delivers effectively on its principles, which have received wide support.

"At such time as policies come into effect we will work with local authorities to ensure that any new requirements for householders are communicated widely.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20701861 (091629ZAPR24) Notable: Prince Andrew files may have been destroyed as Scots biographer warns of cover-up

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-andrew-files-been-destroyed-32536336

Prince Andrew files may have been destroyed as Scots biographer warns of cover-up

The Duke of York earned the nickname 'Air Miles Andy' during ten controversial years as Britain's globetrotting trade envoy... but there is no trace of ANY of the memos, emails and cables relating to his role

Ben Borland

8 APR 2024

Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of official UK Government documents that could shed light on Prince Andrew's controversial role as Britain's trade envoy.

The Duke of York served as a roving trade ambassador from 2001 until 2011, earning the nickname 'Air Miles Andy' due to his frequent expenses-paid trips. But officials have now admitted that memos, emails and cables sent between officials about his foreign visits "may no longer be retained".

Royal biographer Andrew Lownie used the Freedom of Information Act to request copies of the documents. He asked for details bout the people who accompanied the duke on his trade trips, his work schedule and any correspondence between officials and the duke's private office.

The author, whose full title is Andrew Lownie of Largo, was told by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) that it did not hold the information. Under the UK Government's retention policy, any documents of "historical importance" must be sent to the National Archives in Kew, south-west London.

But Dr Lownie, who was educated at Fettes College and Edinburgh University, and later became a literary agent in the Scottish capital, said he cannot find any trace of the documents in the National Archives. He told the Daily Mail that a failure to answer the questions may result in the appearance of a cover-up, adding: "I think there are a lot of questions."

The newspaper said the DBT was refusing to say whether the documents had been destroyed, despite "repeated requests" to explain what might have happened to them. And the Information Commissioner's Office, which probed how officials responded to Dr Lownie's request, said that even if such information previously existed "it may no longer be retained".

Former diplomat Simon Wilson, who was involved with a number of Andrew's trade envoy visits while at the British embassy in Bahrain in the early 2000s, said: "The Duke of York was directly employed by the Government and details of his visits should be in the public domain."

The duke stepped down as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment in 2011 when details of his friendship with the disgraced US financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein first emerged. However, the ten years he spent in the unpaid role after leaving the Royal Navy were dogged with controversy.

He had lunch at Buckingham Palace with a "notorious" member of the former Tunisian regime, went on holiday with a Libyan gun smuggler and faced claims that he used an official trip to try to find a buyer for his home in the UK.

The DBT said: "The department has complied with our obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, and this was confirmed by the Information Commissioner's Office."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20701926 (091649ZAPR24) Notable: PAY DAY Edinburgh council firm boss given bigger bonus than any other UK local authority worker

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12443242/boss-of-edinburgh-venue-received-largest-bonus/

PAY DAY Edinburgh council firm boss given bigger bonus than any other UK local authority worker

Marshall Dallas was handed a whopping bumper payment of £72,280 on top of his £158,711 annual salary

Lewis Mckenzie

9 Apr 2024

THE boss of an Edinburgh venue owned by the city council was handed a larger bonus than any other local authority worker in the UK last year, it has emerged.

Marshall Dallas, chief executive of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, received £72,280 on top of his £158,711 annual salary.

The Edinburgh International Conference Centre is fully owned by City of Edinburgh Council, but operates commercially as an arms-length company.

According to the firm, the payment was made due to its new 350-bed hotel and hotel school development which is being built at Haymarket, as well as the “operating performance” of the EICC.

The eye-watering sum has sparked criticism from councillors in Edinburgh, with £80million having been slashed from the council’s budget last year.

Council leader and Labour group chief Cammy Day said he does “not agree with bonuses like this in arms’ length companies”.

However, fellow Labour councillor and chair of the EICC, Lezley Marion-Cameron, defended the payment during a meeting of the council.

She said: “I would remind colleagues the EICC is a limited company, it’s very different from the council and it’s proven highly successful over the years. And it’s delivering huge economic and other benefits for this city.”

Taxpayers’ Alliance chief executive John O’Connell said: "Local authorities provide crucial services and residents will want to make sure they are getting bang for their buck with their ever-increasing bills.

“Residents can use these figures to ask whether precious funds are really going towards front-line services, or whether town hall bosses can get better value for money.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20702112 (091741ZAPR24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Why Scotland should lead the fight against compulsory ID cards and tell the 'jackbooted Wombles' to get stuffed

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/comment/scotland-should-lead-fight-against-32540801

Why Scotland should lead the fight against compulsory ID cards and tell the 'jackbooted Wombles' to get stuffed

Political commentator ALAN GRANT calls on freedom-minded Scots from all parties to rediscover their contrarian roots and stand up to this latest attempt to transform Britain into a 'papers please society'

Comment

opinion

By Alan Grant

8 APR 2024

If political issues were songs, the debate about compulsory ID cards would be on Britain’s greatest hits album. We can rely on it, it gets people up on their feet, everyone knows the tune, and we’ve got the lyrics burned into the collective memory by now.

As if doing the bidding of some unseen stage manager, Lord Blunkett, former Labour Home Secretary, was good enough to tune up the band and give us our cue for another rendition of this classic recently.

The sides have lined up as one would very much expect. Lord Blunkett argues that ID cards can be used to reduce illegal immigration (“stop the small boats” is the frustratingly simple parlance de jour). He is cheered on by earnest folks like Observer columnist Martha Gill who argues that the old, state-averse liberal Britain no longer exists and we are in fact a, “papers please, society.”

Meanwhile, a smattering of liberals, libertarians, and Starmer-ites, the latter aware that this issue could prove damaging to their attempt to change Sir Keir’s mailing address to include a number ten and the former concerned with the impact on individual liberty, have lined up against the idea.

It’s a familiar old ditty and, quite frankly, oddly comforting in the Brave New Political World in which we find ourselves. Like flicking over to BBC Radio 2 after hours of incessant, incomprehensible, and baffling noise flooding from Radio 1; an analogy I fully concede that one must be over thirty to full grasp. Time comes for us all, and it’s cruel.

But what of Scotland? In a debate that is normally centred on other parts of the United Kingdom, what would, and should, Scots want from another go around on this thorny subject?

Not much has been said so far on it, from a uniquely Scottish perspective. We’ve had tangentially related debates. The SNP’s disastrous Named Person scheme was, effectively, a human ID card for kiddies while their attempt at digital ID management has gone the way of the deposit return scheme and other flawed ideas. That is to say down, with a gurgle and a flush.

However, it should be robustly considered in Scotland. Not just because forcing Scots to carry an ID card, the purpose of which is for it to be shown to be authorities on demand, would impact life here but it would also provide another wedge for those who wish to break up the United Kingdom to use in their demented crusade.

As sure as main course follows the starter, nationalists would either frame ID cards as Westminster imposing a useless policy on Scots (and be coincidentally right) or would insist that the Scottish Government is the proper authority to do so, or would do it better. For unionists, like Lord Blunkett, giving the Nats this room of stage to play to their cheap seats would be a mistake.

We are at our best when we're being awkward

However, there is also a deeper and more important point of principle at stake here. Scots are rightly proud of our history and tradition of dissent, contrarianism, and obstructiveness. We like a good stairheid rammy, even if it’s just for practice but also for good reasons too. Being awkward and puncturing overly-inflated and self-important ideas is when we are at our best, from greats like Tam Dalyell and Michael Forsyth to modern examples like Willie Rennie and Donald Cameron, sticking in a contrary view is when the saltire shines brightest.

How better to live up to this legacy of telling administrators, nosey-parkers, and busy-bodies to get stuffed than for Scotland to become the spiritual and political home of the fight against creating a “papers please” society?

Fighting ID cards is also an issue that can unite freedom-minded people from all parties in telling an incoming presumptive Labour UK Government just how far it can go and that it is better off not listening to its more traditional yesterday’s men like Lord Blunkett.

The traditional Scottish bristling against intrusion into our private lives has taken a bit of a knock of late. The hate crime act threatens to criminalise jokes told around the family dinner table and Lorna Slater seems intent on despatching an army of jackbooted government Wombles to dob you in for putting an empty can in the wrong bin. We’ve accepted more and more interference and been shamefully meek and deferential about it.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20702116 (091743ZAPR24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Why Scotland should lead the fight against compulsory ID cards and tell the 'jackbooted Wombles' to get stuffed

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But, now that ID cards, a license to be in civil society and the ultimate sign of grasping politicians, are back in the conversation, maybe we can fix things? They won’t stop illegal immigration, only the police, border force, and home office can do that, but they can make us less free, less trusting, and less resistant to authority.

If ever there was a cause that deserved to be accompanied by the proud skirl of bagpipes, defeating compulsory ID cards once and for all would be it.

Defeating corruption in government, judiciary, media, health, law enforcement and everywhere else should be the bog standard minimum expected of my downtrodden brethren here in Scotland. Anything else isn't a victory...it's a postponement of the inevitable tyranny. There's a reason the old maxim of "ignorance of the law is no excuse”, it's because the law of the land was simple and even an idiot could grasp it. Do no harm, cause no loss, keep the peace and honour your contracts...that's it. It didn't apply to all these relentless ACTS of parliament that nobody other than the odd savant knows in its entirety.Why Scotland should lead the fight against compulsory ID cards and tell the jackbooted Wombles to get stuffed

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20702154 (091801ZAPR24) Notable: Final Humza Yousaf Bun / SNP leader's brother-in-law charged with abduction and extortion linked to Dundee window fall death (video)

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/third-man-charged-abduction-extortion-32543680

Humza Yousaf's brother-in-law charged with abduction and extortion linked to Dundee window fall death

Ramsay El-Nakla, the brother of the first minister's wife Nadia, is set to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court after being in charged in connection with the death of Ryan Munro.

David Walker

9 APR 2024

Humza Yousaf's brother-in-law has been arrested and charged with abduction and extortion following an incident when a man died after falling from a block of flats in Dundee. The 36-year-old is set to appear in court on Tuesday to face the charges.

Ryan Munro plunged from a window on Morgan Street in Dundee on Wednesday 10 January. He was rushed to Ninewells Hospital but was pronounced dead a week later.

We previously told how three other people were arrested and charged following the same incident, and all appeared at court last week. Now, Ramsay El-Nakla, 36, is set to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday, with a report being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Jennifer Souter, 38, appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court last Thursday charged with culpable homicide. Souter, of Dundee, did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody to appear in court again in eight days.

Stephen Stewart, 50, and Victoria McGowan, 41, appeared at the same court charged with abduction and extortion. They did not enter a plea and were both released on bail.

A Police Scotland statement read: "A 36-year-old man has been arrested and charged with abduction and extortion following an incident where a man fell from a block of flats on Morgan Street, Dundee on Wednesday, 10 January. He died a week later in hospital.

"Three others were previously arrested and charged following the same incident. The 36-year-old man is due to appear in Dundee Sheriff Court today, Tuesday, 9 April, 2024. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."

Tributes were paid to Mr Munro following his death in January. Ryan's heartbroken brother Mark described him as a "great guy" and his "best friend". Mark told The Courier: “We are still so incredibly numb after everything that has taken place in recent days. Ryan was a great guy, a great father and he was my best friend. We can't speak highly enough of the staff at Ninewells Hospital for their incredible support during this time – it’s actually been humbling.

"He'd previously agreed to donate his organs after he passed. Ryan's heart is still beating and his liver is with someone else now. We have found some comfort that Ryan’s organs have given someone else the gift of life."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20702181 (091809ZAPR24) Notable: Final Humza Yousaf Bun / SNP leader's brother-in-law charged with abduction and extortion linked to Dundee window fall death (video)

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/humza-yousafs-brother-law-appears-32548552

Humza Yousaf's brother-in-law appears in court on abduction and extortion charges in window fall death case

Ramsay El-Nakla appeared in private at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday after being held overnight in custody. He made no plea before Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith and was released on bail

Gordon Currie

9 APR 2024

The First Minister's brother-in-law has appeared in court accused of the abduction and extortion of a man shortly before he plunged to his death from a block of flats.

Humza Yousaf's brother-in-law Ramsay El-Nakla has been accused of acting along with the woman accused of killing Ryan Munro and two others. El-Nakla appeared briefly in private at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday after being held overnight in custody. He faces charges of abduction Mr Munro and extorting money from him.

The petition alleges firstly that he was acting alongside Jennifer Souter, Stephen Stewart and Victoria McGowan and abducted Mr Munro at 11 Morgan Street, Dundee. It is alleged that between 9 and 10 January this year the quartet abducted Mr Munro and placed him in a state of fear and alarm by making threats of violence and intimidation and detaining him against his will.

The second charge alleges that El-Nakla - while acting with the other three - extorted money from Mr Munro at the property during the same time period. That charge alleges that they acted with the intention of menacing Mr Munro and putting him in a state of alarm and apprehension of intimidation and loss of liberty. They are alleged to have made threats of violence and extorted money from him by threats.

El-Nakla, Baxter Park Terrace, Dundee, made no plea before Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith and the case against him was continued for further examination. He was released on bail.

Ryan Munro was seriously injured after sustaining head injuries in a 30 foot fall from a flat window in Morgan Street, Dundee, on 10 January. He died in hospital a week later. Jennifer Souter previously appeared in court charged with killing Mr Munro by menacing him before he fell to his death from a second-storey window.

El-Nakla, 36, was initially questioned along with Victoria McGowan and Stephen Stewart about the death of Mr Munro earlier this year. McGowan, 41, and Stewart, 50, appeared on a petition at Dundee Sheriff Court last Thursday alleging involvement with Mr Munro prior to his death. They appeared on the same petition as alleged killer Souter, 38, Arbroath Road, Dundee.

Souter appeared briefly in private to face a petition alleging she assaulted and abducted Mr Munro at a flat in Morgan Street, Dundee, on 10 January this year. She is alleged to have threatened, intimidated and detained him against his will with a view to extorting money from him and placing him in a state of fear and alarm.

Souter is alleged to have committed culpable homicide by putting Mr Munro in fear for his safety and causing him to fall from a second floor window, resulting in fatal injuries. She made no plea or declaration and was remanded in custody by Sheriff John Rafferty after a brief hearing in private.

'His heart is still beating and his liver is with someone else now'

McGowan and Stewart also appeared in private to face a charge each on the petition alleging the abduction and intimidation of Mr Munro at the Morgan Street property between 9 and 10 January. Neither made any plea to the charge against them and they were both granted bail.

Mr Munro sustained serious head injuries when he fell around 30 feet into the street below and landed on a vehicle parked outside the flat. Workmen who were in the street tried to administer first aid at the scene, but Mr Munro was taken to Ninewells Hospital and succumbed to his injuries seven days later.

His brother Mark paid tribute: "We are numb. Ryan was a great father. He had previously agreed to donate his organs. His heart is still beating and his liver is with someone else now. We have found some comfort that Ryan's organs have given someone else the gift of life."

El-Nakla's sister, psychotherapist Nadia El-Nakla, is the wife of First Minister Humza Yousaf and is a councillor on Dundee City Council, where she sits on the Scrutiny Committee. She is the city's drugs spokesperson.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20713317 (112155ZAPR24) Notable: Final Historic Abuse Bun / Celtic boys' club sex abuse action could end in months with 'millions' to be paid out

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/celtic-boys-club-sex-abuse-32542857

Celtic boys' club sex abuse action could end in months with 'millions' to be paid out

Solicitors representing the survivors have said 'significant progress' has been made of late which could result in a settlement

Mark Connor

9 APR 2024

Solicitors say “significant progress” has been made towards Celtic settling legal claims of historical abuse for what could be millions of pounds. More than 20 former players have launched a US-style class action against the club for damages.

Celtic indicated it was seeking to settle the cases in September. Thompsons Solicitors has now said the valuation of all cases has progressed in the last six months.

A spokesperson added: “We do not yet have all necessary evidence to commence settlement negotiations and so the court has granted a further short list of four months to allow opportunity to do so given the complexities of this task.”

In recent years several former coaches and officials at the club have been convicted of sexual offences against teenage players spanning decades. Last year a judge gave the go-ahead for a US style “class action” group litigation to proceed against Celtic for alleged abuses at Celtic Boys Club.

The boys’ club was established as a feeder team to the senior Celtic side in 1966 and the two clubs had close ties, sharing players, officials and premises. Celtic had always insisted that it wasn’t responsible because the boys’ club was an “entirely different organisation.”

Lawyers acting for the former players argue the boys club and Celtic were “intimately connected” and the senior club was “vicariously liable” for assaults carried out. The litigation relates to historical claims of sexual assault by convicted paedophiles Jim Torbett - the founder of the Boys Club - and Frank Cairney, a former coach.

More recently Celtic said it was continuing discussions with the victims’ lawyers.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20716234 (121448ZAPR24) Notable: Final Historic Abuse Bun / 20716225, Man claims more than 50 children were sexually abused by 'paedophile' catholic monks on UK holy island in scandal as bad as 'Jimmy Savile' as new probe launched

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Father Thaddeus Kotik died in 1992 without facing any criminal charges into claims he abused children on the holy island.

In recent weeks, the island has appointed safeguarding officer Maria Battle, former chair of the Howell Dda University Health Board in Wales.

She is a director of the Caldey island Estate Company Ltd which has led the anti-abuse campaigners to question her independence.

Since her appointment a page has appeared on the island's website saying Caldey operates under the Catholic Safeguarding Standard Agency.

This week, she announced that the Abbey has appointed Independent Safeguarding Consultant and former Assistant Police & Crime Commissioner for South Wales, Jan Pickles OBE to lead a 'thorough review' into historical claims of child abuse.

According to Battle, Mrs Pickles' review will be entirely independent to the CICS - but will consider the allegations of Kevin O'Connell.

The abbey is now under new leadership in the form of Fr Jan Rossey, who says he is committed to fostering openness and transparency within the monastery.

'In common with many other organisations, Caldey Abbey has, in the past, received disclosures and allegations involving members of the monastic community about their behaviour towards children', stated Father Jan.

'We take these allegations very seriously and, in order to uphold our commitment to safeguarding, we have commissioned a leading Independent Safeguarding Consultant, Jan Pickles OBE, to conduct a thorough review.'

'This review is about taking responsibility, learning from the past, and building a safe environment for everyone.'

Mail Online visited the island at Easter, a few days after the ferry boats started running visitors to the 540-acre island a mile from the seaside resort of Tenby.

A visiting choir from Ireland was on the first boat along with young children and their parents, unaware of Caldey's secret history of child abuse.

For years the monks ran a profitable sideline making perfume from rare wild flowers growing on the windswept island. It stopped due to the 'ageing monastic community'.

The island shop stocks Isle of Caldey chocolate along with souvenirs including tea towels, table mats and slightly creepy teddy bears in black monks robes.

Caldey's Post Office doubles up as a museum with ancient relics on display along with a photograph of the 15 monks living on the island some years ago.

There is no caption giving the names of the brothers in the dark brown and cream robes they wear on the religious retreat, a 15-minute boat ride from Tenby.

Latest figures show 60,000 people visit Caldey every year to tour the Abbey, walk to the lighthouse and get an insight into island life for the 40 residents unconnected to the Cistercian Abbey.

Day tripper Kelly Jones, 38, from Blackwood, South Wales, said: 'I didn't know about the child abuse until the night before I visited.

'Someone told me that I was going to an island where dozens of children had been sexually abused. I was shocked. I still don't know what to make of it - there were monks involved. It doesn't bear thinking about.'

Mother-of-two Lynne Jones, 45, of Swansea, who was visiting the island with friends, said: 'It's disgusting what went on here and just wrong that it was covered up because of the power of the Catholic Church.

'It's a beautiful and peaceful place, you have to close your mind to some of the horrors that children were put through. You'd never know it visiting the island, there's no mention of it anywhere.'

Mr O'Connell has vowed to continue his fight for a full Public Inquiry into the child abuse that has wrecked so many lives - but it isn't going to come soon.

'If any new information has come to light about alleged abuse this needs to be reported to the police and/or the local authority for the area where it took place.'

A Dyfed-Powys police spokeswoman said: 'All investigations have been concluded. There are currently no police investigations ongoing.

'While we cannot prosecute persons who are deceased, all victims were asked to provide an account to police in order that any other persons linked to the offence could be investigated fully.

'Each victim was offered a referral to appropriate support agencies and alongside the criminal investigation a safeguarding review was also undertaken.

'Given the overall circumstances, Dyfed-Powys Police is satisfied that appropriate inquiries have been conducted.

'All reports of sexual abuse are taken extremely seriously,and specially trained officers are appointed to investigate and support victims of non-recent abuse.'

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20716554 (121618ZAPR24) Notable: Final Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Three / Why Scotland should lead the fight against compulsory ID cards and tell the 'jackbooted Wombles' to get stuffed

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/cass-review-snp-urged-halt-32550142

Cass Review: SNP urged to halt use of puberty blockers after expert calls for 'extreme caution'

Dr Hilary Cass has spent four years looking into the gender services in England – but there has been no similar review carried out here in Scotland and the Nats have refused to listen to evidence

Ben Borland

10 APR 2024

The SNP/Green Government was urged to undertake a review of gender services on the NHS in Scotland after a major report south of the border urged "extreme caution" in the use of puberty blockers.

Dr Hilary Cass, who has been compiling a 400-page independent probe of gender identity services for children and young people in England for the last four years, warned that patients were being caught in the crossfire of the "exceptionally toxic" debate.

She said children have been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care and called for "a holistic assessment" of youngsters referred to gender clinics, including screening for neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, and a mental health assessment.

After a huge increase in the number of young people accessing gender services in recent years, Dr Cass also said teenagers are "falling off a cliff edge" in their care when they reach 17. In response, NHS England has promised a review of adult gender care.

Her report urged a review of the current policy on giving children masculinising or feminising hormones in the form of testosterone or oestrogen from the age of 16, urging "extreme caution". Dr Cass, a retired consultant paediatrician, said there "should be a clear clinical rationale" for giving hormones before someone turns 18. Last month, NHS England said it would end the "routine prescription" of puberty blockers.

She said: "I think it's definitely the case that ideology on all sides has directed care, rather than care being directed by normal principles of paediatrics and mental health. I mean, certainly professionals are afraid to do the things that they would normally do in any other consultation with a young person, and that can't be right."

Welcoming the review, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "The wellbeing and health of children must come first." In Scotland, by contrast, there has been no similar work carried out by an independent expert such as Dr Cass.

Meghan Gallacher, deputy leader of the Scots Tories, has been calling for action for months. She said: "Despite repeated calls from medical experts, campaigners and the Scottish Conservatives, the SNP Government refused to undertake a review of gender clinics here in Scotland.

"Instead, the SNP have rushed into significant gender reform, ignoring the wellbeing and health of children seeking medical care for significant issues like gender dysphoria. While there is a lot of information to digest in this report, one of the most damning conclusions is that children have been let down. This is simply unacceptable.

"If the SNP won't heed the recommendations made by the Cass review then they must urgently undertake their own evaluation so that we can protect the wellbeing of young people, especially children, accessing these services, starting with pausing the use of puberty blockers."

Ms Gallacher has also written to First Minister Humza Yousaf calling on him to "publish all the evidence that your government has that confirms that puberty blockers are safe for children to take".

NHS England said it was "very grateful to Dr Cass and her team for their comprehensive work on this important review", and that it would "set out a full implementation plan following careful consideration of this final report and its recommendations".

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20716586 (121641ZAPR24) Notable: Final Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part Two / Cass review shows why the 'tartan Tavistock' clinic in Glasgow must be shut down

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>>130318

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cass-review-shows-tartan-tavistock-32573315

Cass review shows why the 'tartan Tavistock' clinic in Glasgow must be shut down

Dr Jenny Cunningham, who was a paediatrician in Glasgow for more than 30 years, fears Scotland will become an outlier if it fails to follow Hilary Cass's recommendations for gender care for children and young people in England

Mary Wright

12 APR 2024

A leading Scottish paediatrician today called for the "tartan Tavistock" clinic to be "dismantled" in the wake of the Cass Report, which found that transgender medicine was "based on shaky foundations".

The Scottish Government has said it will consider the findings of the Cass review, which was set up in 2020 and is being led by Hilary Cass, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, but has not committed to implementing its findings. Ministers are also refusing to make a public statement.

The report advises that children should not be rushed into gender treatment and concludes that children who think they are trans are more likely to have mental health issues, a difficult family situation or have suffered abuse. It suggests that these children need counselling to tackle these problems holistically, rather than being put automatically on a path to change gender.

The Cass review, which said gender medicine is "built on shaky foundations", is set to inform the future for transgender care in England and the rest of the UK, making Scotland an outlier if it fails to follow suit.

Now retired, Dr Jenny Cunningham, was a Glasgow-based community paediatrician for over three decades, and insists the city’s Sandyford gender clinic "must be closed".

She said: "The Cass report is the most thorough inquiry into the subject and is a damning indictment of clinicians who have bowed to trans activists’ influence in a rush to affirm and medicalise a child’s expression of gender confusion. The publication of the Cass report on gender services in England should remind us of clinicians’ obligation to 'first do no harm'."

According to Dr Cunningham, the conclusions of the Cass report on the treatment of gender-confused children in England are "damning" and apply equally to failures in the treatment of the young patients at Scotland’s Sandyford gender clinic.

She said: "Scottish children deserve the same level of care and protection as those in England. Sandyford’s gender service must be dismantled and replaced with evidence-based treatment focused on underlying psychological and social conditions, free from the influence of trans activist groups.

"Like the disgraced Tavistock clinic in England, Scotland’s Sandyford gender clinic must be closed. Its patients and those on waiting lists must be seen by practitioners who will investigate and treat their underlying psychological and social conditions rather than putting them on the fast track to damaging hormones and mutilating surgeries. The Cass report on gender services in England shows that medical evidence must prevail over the influence of trans activist groups."

'Ministers must heed the damning conclusions'

Dr Cunningham, who is a board member of the Scottish Union for Education campaign group, added: "We must note that the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland failed to act on the preliminary report into gender services in England by eminent paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass. Scotland’s Sandyford gender clinic remains open, while England’s discredited Tavistock gender service is closed. Ministers and NHS bosses now must heed the damning conclusions in Dr Cass’s full report.

"Scottish children who express discomfort with their sex have the same needs as their English peers - evidence-based treatment of the underlying psychological and social causes of their distress, rather than the dangerous hormones and mutilating surgeries endorsed by the trans activists who influence NHS policies."

Last year, Dr Cunningham wrote a pamphlet explaining what was wrong and potentially harmful about the promotion of transgender ideology in schools which was sent to every school in Scotland and is to be sent again in the coming weeks.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We have been consistently clear that the Cass review’s final report and findings will be closely considered by both the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland, in the context of how such healthcare can be best delivered here in Scotland.

"The Scottish Government is already supporting NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS National Services Scotland to consider how best to provide national specialist young people’s gender care in NHS Scotland in the future. Together with NHS Scotland, we are also engaged with NHS England on its planned study into the use of puberty blockers in young people’s gender identity healthcare and discussions are ongoing to determine what future engagement is appropriate."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20717508 (122056ZAPR24) Notable: Final Hate Crime Law Bun / Police Scotland call handlers given pre-written answers to deal with Humza Yousaf Hate Crime complaints

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>>>/qresearch/20669773

>>130309

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12466820/police-scotland-guidance-humza-yousaf-holyrood-speech-hate-crime/

WHAT'S THE SCRIPT? Police Scotland call handlers given pre-written answers to deal with Humza Yousaf Hate Crime complaints

The email offers call handlers a list of explanations to use in response to complainers

Iona Brownlie & Chris Musson

12 Apr 2024

POLICE call handlers have been given a script to defend Humza Yousaf amid a flurry of Hate Crime complaints.

Hundreds of complaints were made about the First Minister's speech in 2020 in Holyrood when the new laws came into force.

As first reported by the Telegraph, Police Scotland issued an email to call handlers of lines to say to people complaining about a speech made during the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020.

Mr Yousaf was Justice Secretary at the time and had spoken of the race of numerous high-profile figures in Scottish public life pointing out that each of them was white.

And the SNP leader said in 99 per cent of meetings he was "the only non-white person in the room".

He also said Scotland "has a problem of structural racism".

Police were bombarded with complaints over the speech when new Hate Crime Laws came into place on April 1.

And now the force's diversity unit has issued a guide on "form of words" to recite when people complain about the speech.

The email, with the subject line “Form of words re Humza Yousaf Speech”, tells all staff and officers in the C3 roles - Contact Command and Control - how to respond to people who complain about Mr Yousaf.

It says the issue was raised in a “GRIP meeting” where the “implementation” of the new Hate Crime Act was discussed.

GRIP usually stands for ‘Greater Results In Partnership’ - meetings involving Police Scotland and outside agencies.

In the email, Police Scotland repeatedly misspell Yousaf as “Yousef”.

The email out an “approved response" to be used by all C3 staff and any officers dealing with enquiries relating to First Minister Humza Yousaf's speech in 2020”

In a section marked “background”, it sets out how Mr Yousaf’s speech took place during a Scottish Parliament debate titled "Showing Solidarity with Anti-racism".

The email says: “During this debate, then Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf made a speech, in the context of the debate, where he made reference to his own personal experience of racism.

“He also pointed out that there was a lack of representation of people of colour within, not only the Scottish Parliament but also across the criminal justice sector as a whole where all of the top jobs were occupied entirely by white people.

“An excerpt of this speech was made and posted online by a group called ‘End Wokeness’ alleging that Humza Yousef 'openly despises white people'.

"This was thereafter picked up by the US business person, and now owner of Twitter/X, Elon Musk, who retweeted it to his followers accusing Mr Yousef [sic] of being a ‘Blatant Racist’.”

Under a section marked “Police Scotland decision”, the email suggests that following the Elon Musk flare-up - last October - “a number of complaints were received by Police Scotland alleging that Humza Yousef had committed a hate crime”.

It adds: “These were investigated at the time and found to not meet the threshold of a crime for a number of reasons.”

A list of bullet points justifying the decision are then given for staff to tell complainers.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20717512 (122058ZAPR24) Notable: Final Hate Crime Law Bun / Police Scotland call handlers given pre-written answers to deal with Humza Yousaf Hate Crime complaints

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>>130320

.....................................................................................................continued.................................................................................................................

The email says: “Nothing contained in the speech was threatening, abusive or insulting”, “When directly referencing 'white people', in the context of the speech, this was pointing out a matter of fact”, “There was no malice or ill will displayed towards any person or group displayed in anything said and so does not meet the threshold to be recorded as a non-crime hate incident”, and “The context, content and intent of the speech are protected by Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights - Freedom of Expression”.

It adds: “The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 covers complaints relating to incidents which occurred after midnight on 1 April 2024.

"Complaints relating to incidents which occurred prior to this date will be dealt with under previous legislation.”

Last week, cops confirmed the First Minister would not be subject to a non-hate crime report following the string of complaints.

According to Police Scotland's national Hate Crime guidance, a hate incident is recorded based on the perception of the individual making the complaint.

In the first week of the new laws, nearly 8,000 complaints were made.

There were 7152 "online hate reports" received and a further 430 "police incidents" with a hate crime tag.

And Police Scotland call centres dealt with 34 calls vis 101 or 999 and 141 from emails - making a total of 7757 in seven days.

And the controversial laws were blasted by high profile figures including JK Rowling, Elon Musk and podcaster Joe Rogan.

Police Scotland’s justification for not recording the incident as a “non-crime hate incident” is likely to come under scrutiny as it appears it may contradict the force’s own policy for recording such incidents.

The force email states the incident “does not meet the threshold to be recorded as a non-crime hate incident” because “there was no malice or ill will displayed towards any person or group displayed in anything said”.

However, the definition of a “hate incident” in Police Scotland’s Hate Crime

National Guidance does not mention any threshold, and says a hate incident is “any incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated (wholly or partly) by malice and ill-will towards a social group but which does not constitute a criminal offence (non-crime incident)”.

Police Scotland today refused to answer questions from The Scottish Sun about whether it was still following its Hate Crime National Guidance, whether hate incidents were being recorded according to the force’s perception, not the person reporting - in apparent contradiction of its own policy.

The force instead referred The Scottish Sun to a previous statement, which says: “We have received a number of complaints in relation to a speech in the Scottish Parliament on 10 June, 2020.

“Earlier complaints regarding this matter were assessed at the time and it was established no crime was committed and no further action was required.”

Sharon Dowey, the deputy justice spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said: “It’s a measure of how farcical Humza Yousaf’s hate crime law is that police officers have effectively been given a script on how to respond to the flood of complaints made against the First Minister under the very legislation that he piloted and introduced.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Police Scotland statistics showing there were 240 hate crimes recorded in just one week demonstrate how vital it is that marginalised and vulnerable communities most at risk of hatred and prejudice are protected in law.

“Police Scotland has been clear that demand continues to be managed within its contact centres and the impact on frontline policing has been minimal.”

The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act has fully kicked in - three years after being passed.

It includes an offence of “stirring up hatred” - which previously only applied only to race - covering “protected characteristics” of age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and “variations in sex characteristics”.

The key strand of the 2021 Act - punishable by up to seven years in prison - did not come into force straight away amid fears of a lack of police training and IT systems.

There has been criticism after Police Scotland pledged to "investigate every report" made

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20718591 (130109ZAPR24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Sleazy cop flashed work badge before sexually touching three women on boozy night out

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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/sleazy-cop-flashed-work-badge-32572120

Sleazy cop flashed work badge before sexually touching three women on boozy night out

Shamed Detective Inspector Nick Bellamy has been sacked after a misconduct panel found he touched the inner thigh of a woman, the breast of another, and the bottom of a third.

Ryan O'Neill, Conor Gogarty & Sarah Vesty

12 APR 2024

A sleazy senior police officer flashed his official work badge before sexually touching three young women during a boozy night out.

Shamed Detective Inspector Nick Bellamy has been sacked after a misconduct panel found he touched the inner thigh of a woman, the breast of another, and the bottom of a third.

Bellamy, of South Wales Police's economic crime unit, told one of his victims "you've got nice chunky legs" before resting his hand on the backside of another for at least three seconds.

His harassment - which was caught on CCTV - happened during a drinking session where he was out socialising with colleagues, WalesOnline reports.

The gross misconduct began after Bellamy approached a woman - referred to as Miss A - who was out with her friends. She told the panel she had drunk "two or three" beers by the time Bellamy came over and showed off his police badge.

She said the detective was "all over the place" and "more gone" than she was. He sat down next to her and placed his hand on her right thigh. She said he began "stroking the inside of it with his hand", leaving her shocked and not knowing what to do.

Miss A pointed out Bellamy's behaviour to one of her friends - referred to as Miss C - who then brought her away onto the dancefloor. Later in the evening Bellamy approached Miss A again and said she had "nice chunky legs" as she walked away.

She said she told a female colleague of Bellamy what had happened but allegedly received the reply: "Just ignore him, he's like that all the time." At another point in the evening, Bellamy was sitting next to another woman, referred to as Miss B.

The panel heard he "kept putting his arm around her", touching her hand, knee, thigh and left breast, all within a minute or two of meeting her.

There was also sexual touching of Miss C, who was sitting next to Bellamy when he leaned in and moved his hand onto her lower arm, then her shoulder, and then her buttocks, before she leaned away and he moved his hand back to the seat.

The three victims eventually left the pub because they wanted to get away from Bellamy, said Miss A.

Natalie Holly Smith, a financial investigator who resigned from South Wales Police in 2023 but remains a special constable with the force, told the panel she witnessed Bellamy touching one of the women on the thigh.

But she said she felt this was more of a "friendly, social" gesture rather than groping or stroking. She added that she felt "quite taken aback" by the complaint based on what she had witnessed.

She claimed that while she knew of Bellamy she would not describe them as close friends but had never had any issues with him.

Miss C said she had "no recollection" of physical contact from Bellamy but when she watched the footage she came to the conclusion that she leaned away because of the position of his hand on her backside.

She added: "I personally did not feel uncomfortable but do not want to dismiss what Miss A and B felt on that evening." Miss B had texted her partner telling him she felt uncomfortable because of the inappropriate contact, Miss C told the panel.

CCTV footage from the pub showed an interaction between Bellamy and his line manager. Giving evidence Bellamy accepted the video showed his colleague "trying to attempt to usher me away [from the women]".

He also admitted having seven or eight pints as well as white wine before he arrived at the bar. He said he did not remember much of what happened at the bar and although he "spent some time in the company" of Miss C he had "no recollection of interacting" with Miss A or Miss B.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20718596 (130110ZAPR24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Sleazy cop flashed work badge before sexually touching three women on boozy night out

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>>130322

...........................................................................................continued.........................................................................................................

After the CCTV was played to the hearing Bellamy claimed he had been "leaning over Miss A to listen to what Miss C is saying". And he claimed that when he had his arm around Miss C he was "leaning in to communicate". He said he was sorry for his "overfamiliarity", "invasion of their personal space and just general overly tactile behaviour".

He added he was "pretty much horrified" by his behaviour, which "didn't truly reflect my values", but insisted he was trying to be "friendly". He denied his actions were sexual or predatory. Asked about saying Miss A had "nice chunky legs" Bellamy replied: "If I did say that I'm hugely sorry and embarrassed and regretful for saying that."

John Beggs KC, representing the force's professional standards department, asked Bellamy: "You have chosen, I accept in drink, to rest your hand on [Miss C's] bottom haven't you?" Bellamy accepted he had done this for at least three seconds. He admitted misconduct but felt he was not guilty of gross misconduct as he claimed there was no sexual motivation behind his actions.

A bundle of references praised Bellamy's character and his distinguished career. But Mr Beggs told the panel: "This is not a case of whether DI Bellamy is a good police officer he clearly is. This is also not a case of whether he is a bad person he is clearly not." The barrister said the footage made clear that Bellamy had carried out "a succession of unhappy acts" which "went beyond 'leaning in'."

Bellamy's barrister Kevin Baumber described his client as having been "a fool, not a threat". He said Bellamy was a good person who had made "a one-off error" and should be allowed to keep his job. But the panel chairman Andrew Clemes said the detective had shown a "low level" of insight into his own actions despite "some remorse".

The panel found Bellamy committed gross conduct through unwanted sexual touching and harassment in which he "targeted three young females" who had gone out to enjoy themselves. Mr Clemes added: "There was abuse of these young women. Members of the public would be offended and surprised if the officer was not held to account."

The suited detective looked downwards as the panel ordered he be dismissed without notice and placed on the police barred list.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20722699 (132328ZAPR24) Notable: Final Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part Two / Humza Yousaf and Jeane Freeman ordered to explain widespread use of DNR orders during pandemic

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>>130301

>>130056

>>130305

>>130104

>>>/qresearch/20387480

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/humza-yousaf-jeane-freeman-ordered-32570532

Humza Yousaf and Jeane Freeman ordered to explain widespread use of DNR orders during pandemic

The two former SNP health secretaries are expected to be questioned under oath about the use of Do Not Resuscitate orders in Scotland, after bombshell allegations of forged signatures and blanket use

Ben Borland

12 APR 2024

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has ordered Humza Yousaf and Jeane Freeman have been ordered to explain the widespread use of Do Not Resuscitate orders in Scotland during the pandemic.

Lawyers have issued so-called Rule 9 requests to the two former SNP health secretaries ahead of hearings in the autumn which are set to probe the impact of the virus on the NHS and social care systems.

The orders, which were sent north by Lady Hallett's inquiry team last month, typically seek documentation and a witness statement. Both the First Minister and Ms Freeman are now expected to be questioned under oath.

Concern has been mounting for several years about the use of Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders, also known as Do Not Attempt CPR (DNACPR). During the separate Scotland-only inquiry, Lord Brailsford has heard allegations of forged signatures on certificates and orders imposed on people.

Gillian Grant told the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry she found her name in the signature strip of a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form for her grandmother, even though she had never seen or signed it. She said: "I had never given permission for the DNR and I am very shocked and upset that this has my name on it."

Evidence has also been heard from care home managers who said they were told to ensure DNRs were in place for all their residents. One managing director said he believed NHS Scotland quietly took the decision that restrictions would be placed on people in care homes receiving hospital treatment.

And Tressa Burke, of Glasgow Disability Alliance, told the inquiry that GP surgeries had called her members out of the blue and urged them to sign the orders.

The demand for evidence from Mr Yousaf and Ms Freeman comes as the UK inquiry moves into its third phase, which will investigate the pandemic's impact on all nations of the UK. Rule 9 requests have also been sent to other pandemic ministers including Matt Hancock and Sajid Javid.

One focus is the "decision making about the nature of healthcare to be provided for patients with Covid-19, its escalation and the provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation', including the 'use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation instructions (DNACPRs)"

The hearings in London will investigate "communication with patients and their loved ones about patients' condition and treatment, including discussions about DNACPRs".

The Scottish Government said: "It would be inappropriate to comment while hearings are ongoing. In setting the terms of reference for the Scottish inquiry, the Scottish Government(The Scottish Government setting terms of reference for inquiries implicating them in crimes?)included the delivery of end-of-life care and the use of

DNACPRs."

>>130313

>>>/qresearch/20702581

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20725481 (150104ZAPR24) Notable: Final Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Three / SNP spent £5.3m on free bike pledge but barely any poor kids have got one

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>>>/qresearch/20387492

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/snp-spent-53m-free-bike-32580566

SNP spent £5.3m on free bike pledge but barely any poor kids have got one

SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: The latest figures show barely any of Scotland's children living in poverty have received a free bike despite a promise by the SNP to give them all one by 2026.

Hannah Rodger

14 APR 2024

AN SNP manifesto pledge to give free bikes to every child who can’t afford one is set to fail as new figures show just three per cent have received one.

Data obtained by the Sunday Mail shows the 2021 promise has cost about £700 per bike, with £5.3million spent so far.

Just 6814 bikes have been given out in the last three years, with the majority of Scotland’s 250,000 kids in poverty yet to receive one.

The government has also admitted Transport Scotland, which funds the scheme, has made no assessment of when all children unable to afford a bike will get one.

The SNP promised to fulfil its pledge by 2026.

Critics said the money would have been better spent on anti-poverty programmes and have urged the government to ditch the scheme.

Scottish Labour’s children and young people spokesman, Martin Whitfield, said: “Yet another election pledge by the SNP has been left in tatters.

“The SNP must drop the empty promises and doomed gimmicks and set out a real plan to support struggling families and give children and young people opportunities.”

An Alba spokesman said: “Public trust in politicians is at an all-time low and it isn’t helped by making manifesto promises that there was never any intention to meet.”

Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson described it as “yet another [Green MSP] Patrick Harvie flop”.

The scheme was announced by the SNP ahead of the 2021 Holyrood election as part of a £6billion package of spending.

Alongside free bikes were plans to give all schoolkids a laptop or tablet and to renew every playpark.

The scope of the playpark scheme has since been “revised”, according to leaked government documents, while the laptop scheme was quietly dropped due to funding cuts.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The total costs reflect not only the cost of the bikes but the total administration of nine separate pilots using various delivery models, alongside the provision of safety equipment, security devices and cycle training.

“The pilot schemes have tested a variety of delivery models to ensure future best value and inclusivity for this important commitment, which is aimed improving the lives of some of the most disadvantaged young people in Scotland.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20730220 (152349ZAPR24) Notable: Final Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Three / SNP Government to spend £45m on 'bonkers' 20mph speed limits as Scots face gridlock on majority of roads in Scotland

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>>>/qresearch/20669787

>>>/qresearch/20669773

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-government-spend-45m-bonkers-32592734

SNP Government to spend £45m on 'bonkers' 20mph speed limits as Scots face gridlock on majority of roads in Scotland

Exclusive: The Scottish Government has outlined a huge spend on restricting speeds on the majority of Scotland's roads to just 20mph, despite fears of traffic jams as Humza Yousaf and the Scottish Greens were accused of a 'war on motorists.

David Walker

16 APR 2024

The Scottish Government has been blasted after it was revealed that it plans to spend £45m of taxpayer cash on implementing 20 mile per hour zones on thousands of roads across the country. Scots will face gridlock and traffic jams on a daily basis as the majority of routes will be converted to become slower.

As part of the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Greens demanded a blanket change to all 30mph areas, the current average speed limit, in the country. SNP ministers have reduced this down to areas in built-up parts of the country, including beside schools and in town or city centres.

But the restrictions will be put in place on 35,929 sections of roads, the majority of the network across the country (excluding trunk roads and motorways). The current deadline for this is to have it done by 2025, but the SNP Executive will need to release significant funding to councils.

The Scottish Daily Express can reveal that two options were discussed by government officials, with the first involving the creation of secondary legislation to push through the 20mph speed limits. This was rejected in favour of doing it council by council, but this will need approximately £45.6m as there needs to be an agreement signed by local authorities and ministers to implement them.

A similar policy has already been rolled out in Wales but has been subjected to criticism as it has caused traffic jams in some places. The devolved Labour government brought it in, but it has even been slated by a party MP, with Chris Bryant calling it "bonkers" in some areas, and said it was causing difficulty for buses and care workers.

In Wales, the 20mph limit applies on all restricted roads which are defined as roads with lampposts placed not more than 200 yards (about 180m) apart. These are typically located in residential and built-up areas of high pedestrian activity.

A similar plan is being adopted in Scotland, except councils will need to decide which routes are suitable and which are not. But the proposals have been labelled another example of the SNP/Greens "war on motorists" joining low emission zones and plans for congestion zones.

Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson MSP told the Scottish Daily Express: “We warned the Greens that this blanket roll-out of 20mph zones was an utterly flawed proposition, and the exorbitant cost of doing so should make it a complete non-starter.

“To hammer Scots with a £45million bill to enforce their latest anti-car policy would be ridiculous, when they are already reeling from the SNP-Greens’ savage tax-and-axe budget. It should be for each council to decide where these 20mph zones are required, not Nationalist ministers, who clearly have not fully considered the full implications of a blanket roll-out, such as the possibility of greater emissions.

“Rather than furthering their war on our motorists, the SNP-Greens’ focus should be on ensuring our cash-strapped councils have the funds they need to repair our roads and impose the safety measures they see fit as we head towards Net Zero.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "It’s important to remember that if you hit someone at 30mph then they are 7 times more likely to die than at 20mph. We are committed to implement 20mph speed limits on those roads, where it is appropriate to do so, by the end of 2025.

"More 20mph speed limits will improve road safety – keeping people safe, while at the same time making it easier for people to choose walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys. The 20mph task group explored the most effective way of achieving that commitment in Scotland, which included local authorities identifying the number of roads on their own network which would be suitable for a speed limit of 20mph through a road assessment.

"A delivery sub group made up of local authorities and Transport Scotland will oversee the implementation of 20mph speed limits, this will include actual costs to deliver as well as a detailed programme to meet the 2025 deadline.” It is understood that the £46m is an estimate, but that more discussions are needed on how much it will cost in the end.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20730312 (160006ZAPR24) Notable: Final Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part Two / Bombshell emails show a top Fauci aide used his personal Gmail to 'intentionally' HIDE discussions about COVID origins… and would delete anything 'incriminating'

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I see the British press are now reporting on Fauci and co using private email accounts to avoid the scrutiny of FOI's.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13298587/anthony-fauci-aide-covid-19-origins-emails-whistleblower.html

Bombshell emails show a top Fauci aide used his personal Gmail to 'intentionally' HIDE discussions about COVID origins... and would delete anything 'incriminating'

*Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, revealed new documents from a whistleblower Thursday regarding federal official's communications on the origins of COVID-19

*They show that a senior advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci tried to hide correspondence by using a Gmail account

*'I will delete anything I don’t want to see in the New York Times,' the Fauci advisor previously told Republicans

*READ MORE: Sen. Rand Paul says Fauci had secret 'off the books' trips to the CIA before COVID-19

Michael Raasch, Political Reporter On Capitol Hill, For Dailymail.Com

11 April 2024

New documents show that Dr. Anthony Fauci's top U.S. health aide intentionally tried to hide his discussions about the origins of COIVD-19 by using his personal email.

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, claimed a whistleblower provided him new bombshell materials obtained by DailyMail.com.

The unnamed whistleblower revealed emails showing that Dr. David Morens - Fauci's top aide at the National Institutes of Health - allegedly used his personal Gmail account to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to skirt federal transparency laws.

At the time, Morens' official government work email would have been subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that could have publicized his day-to-day communications.

Wenstrup says that Morens used Gmail to 'intentionally [subvert] federal transparency laws to shield discussions related to the origins of COVID-19.'

The whistleblower-provided emails show Morens using an '@gmail.com' account to correspond with Dr. Peter Daszak, head of EcoHealth Alliance, a research nonprofit, apparently regarding a government research grant.

Republicans previously revealed that EcoHealth and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), submitted a proposal to federal officials seeking funding to create a novel coronavirus in 2018.

And Wenstrup has accused EcoHealth of using taxpayer dollars 'to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.'

'These emails raise serious concerns about federal health officials potentially covering up the pandemic’s origin,' Wenstrup stated Thursday.

The subject line of one of the messages between Morens' personal email and EcoHealth's Daszak includes a reference to a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant proposal that provided $661,980 for a 2019 project titled 'Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence.'

Another subject line from his personal email reads 'COVID-19 update (312): China, SARS-CoV2 origin, animal reservoir, WHO mission,' indicating the two were discussing the origins of the disease.

A third email from Morens had a subject line that referenced 'our suspended R01,' possibly indicating that funding for the bat coronavirus research project was stopped at some point.

However, during his transcribed interview with the Select Subcommittee in January, Morens 'denied deleting any federal COVID-19 origins records,' according to the lawmaker.

Morens also admitted previously to the committee in a closed interview that 'I will delete anything I don’t want to see in the New York Times.'

'I always try to communicate over gmail because my NIH email is FOIA’d constantly,' Morens told the committee at the time.

Morens' admission that he intentionally hides his communications prompted Wenstrup to send a letter to Boston University Professor Dr. Gerald Keusch, who was mentioned in the emails.

Wenstrup is requesting the production of any documents and communication related to Keusch's correspondence with Dr. Morens, the committee stated.

That includes any emails with 'other individuals and entities with knowledge of and access to COVID-19 origins material.'

'This letter continues our investigation into the potential cover-up of COVID-19 origins information by America’s public health authorities,' Wenstrup writes.

The Republican requested Keusch turn over his communications with a number of federal officials by April 25.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20730322 (160008ZAPR24) Notable: Final Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part Two / Bombshell emails show a top Fauci aide used his personal Gmail to 'intentionally' HIDE discussions about COVID origins… and would delete anything 'incriminating'

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Earlier this week, Sen. Rand Paul announced that at least 15 government agencies, including NIAID and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), had information regarding the Wuhan Institute of Virology's proposal.

And despite these officials knowing that EcoHealth, the Wuhan Institute and NIAID wanted to create a disease similar COVID-19, they did not reveal to the public the labs intentions.

Further muddying the waters are allegations from Paul that Fauci could have been involved in influencing decisions made surrounding the origins of COVID-19, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still says likely came from bats and not a Chinese lab.

'We also have stories, rumors and innuendo that Fauci was a frequent visitor off the books to the CIA.'

Paul says Fauci's secretive trips are important because 'the CIA officially still says [COVID-19 is] probably from animals.'

Paul pointed to how the CIA disagrees with findings from the Department of Energy and FBI that have said the the pandemic likely originated from a leak at a Wuhan, China, lab.

And that though an initial CIA assessment found the lab leak theory was likely, senior officials in the agency overruled their findings.

That means, according to Paul, Fauci almost certainly knew about the Chinese labs' desire to create a novel coronavirus, as NIAID was a partner on the proposal.

'So in January and February of 2020, instead of Anthony Fauci piping up and saying 'Oh, wow, they briefed us on this. It looks like they ended up doing what they briefed us on' instead of saying that, he commissioned people to say the opposite,' Paul told DailyMail.com.

'It makes me think there's really something there that they're hiding.'

Dr. Peter Daszak, meanwhile, is set to testify publicly before the House on May 1.

EcoHealth and Dr. Morens did not return a request for comment.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20744652 (182350ZAPR24) Notable: Final Hate Crime Law Bun / Humza Yousaf's 'chilling' hate crime law to continue as MSPs vote against repealing 'clype's charter'

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>>130321

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/humza-yousafs-chilling-hate-crime-32610865

Humza Yousaf's 'chilling' hate crime law to continue as MSPs vote against repealing 'clype's charter'

The Scottish Tories urged fellow MSPs to call for the hate crime act to be axed as it has transformed Scotland into 'a place of sinister police billboards instructing people to snitch on those who hurt their feelings, where contentious discussions and disagreements in your home can result in a knock on the door from police.'

David Walker

17 APR 2024

Humza Yousaf's "chilling" hate crime law is set to continue in Scotland, unchanged, after SNP and Scottish Greens MSPs voted against repealing it. The Scottish Tories secured a debate at Holyrood to urge politicians to axe the legislation after its shambolic launch on April 1.

Police Scotland has been inundated with anonymous complaints about alleged hate crimes, with more than 9,000 reports being made out. Out of these, only about 450 actually got investigated, with a number of them being described as "vexatious."

It has meant already overworked officers need to chase every single complaint, with a huge overtime bill being racked up in order to do so. Confusion has also reigned due to the legislation, with even SNP ministers misquoting what the actual law is, despite a huge £400k advertising campaign.

Scottish Tory shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay opened the debate on the bill, as he stated that "Humza Yousaf’s hate crime law chills free speech and has turned Scotland into a place of international mockery. It must be scrapped." He said: "Three years ago, Humza Yousaf was standing over there, lapping up the applause, basking in the adulation having delivered the hate crime act.

"What he described it at the time was it being 'truly transformative' and Humza Yousaf was indeed right, it was transformative, just not in the way he thinks it was. From April Fools Day it has transformed Scotland into a place of international mockery.

"It has transformed the birthplace of the Enlightenment into a place where free speech has been debased and devalued. A place of sinister police billboards instructing people to snitch on those who hurt their feelings, where contentious discussions and disagreements in your home can result in a knock on the door from police.

"Where every single complaint, no matter how groundless or absurd, is subjected to police investigation while despairing officers are being told not to pursue real crimes. Welcome to Scotland, home of Humza Yousaf's hate crime law, aka the clype's charter.

"The Scottish Conservatives and many others warned this disastrous legislation would be weaponised, yet Labour and the Lib Dems blindly backed the SNP."

But the motion ultimately failed, with an SNP amendment removing the word "repeal" passing with 64 MSPs voting yes, 29 voting no and 25 abstentions from Labour, the Lib Dems and SNP rebel Fergus Ewing.

Mr Ewing criticised the hate crime law but confirmed he would not be voting to repeal it. He said he regretted voting for it back in 2021, when he was bound by collective responsibility, and called for it to be reformed, criticising the non-crime hate incidents.

He said that he didn't remember this being voted on, and added: "Is it not even more insidious, actually, that you can have a black mark in your name without even knowing about it? I mean, in what sort of democracy are we living in here?

"I used to read serious novels – I don’t any longer – but I remember reading Franz Kafka, and that’s the name that springs to mind here, because this is not a feature of western democracy where the right to a free trial is a cornerstone, a pillar, of our system. It’s an abnegation of that. And why are we tolerating it?”

Community safety minister Siobhian Brown accused her opposition MSPs of "regularly regurgitating misinformation" but failed to give any examples of this when grilled about it by Mr Findlay. Fellow Nat Alasdair Allan also made similar accusations but again did not provide evidence of this.

She also insisted that the act "does not prevent people expressing controversial, challenging or offensive views, as this has clearly been demonstrated, nor does it seek to stifle criticism or rigorous debate in any way." She added that "the right to freedom of expression has specifically been built into this act."

Scotland's Secretary of State Alister Jack also blasted the act as he said: "It is a truly awful piece of legislation. It will place unnecessary pressure on our already overstretched police force and it will have a chilling effect on freedom of speech. Scotland is famous for an irreverent sense of humour and a love of robust debate. I fear these great traits of ours will be crushed by this authoritarian Nationalist administration."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20744724 (190010ZAPR24) Notable: Final Operation Branchform Bun / Timeline of SNP finance investigation that has led to re-arrest of Peter Murrell

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/timeline-snp-finance-investigation-led-30208024

Timeline of SNP finance investigation that has led to re-arrest of Peter Murrell

All the twists and turns of Operation Branchform, from the start of the investigation to the present day

Ben Borland

18 APR 2024

The events leading up to the re-arrest of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell began in the summer of 2017. At time time, the SNP were flying high in the polls in the wake of the vote to leave the EU.

In this febrile atmosphere, many people thought it likely that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – then at the peak of her political powers – would be successful in her demands for a second independence referendum. Indeed, many commentators thought it likely that Brexit would lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom.

As it has turned out, the reality has been somewhat different. Here is a summary of how we got from there... to here:

March 2017 - Sturgeon launches Indyref2 campaign: the First Minister urged supporters to sign a pledge "to support Scotland's referendum" and to make a donation to the SNP's independence fighting fund. Monthly sums of £5, £10, £25, £50 and £100 were suggested next to the message: "Your contribution will greatly benefit the campaign."

June 2017 - General Election: unable to get her Brexit deal through the Commons (thanks in part to the efforts of the SNP), Prime Minister Theresa May calls a snap election. It went badly for the Tories and Ms May, who lost her working majority, but it was a complete disaster for Ms Sturgeon and the SNP, as Scots sent a clear message that they were not ready for yet another constitutional vote as the Nats lost 21 seats.

June 2017 - SNP deny cash claims: almost immediately, claims emerged that some of the referendum money had been used to pay for the election campaign. Labour strategist James Kelly called it a "a major scandal engulfing the Nationalists, which could have lasting consequences". An SNP spokesman said: "Money raised on ref.scot is ringfenced for the purpose stated on the website - and we haven’t been actively raising money on that website since the election was called in April."

January 2020 - Wings Over Scotland sounds alarm: the pro-Scexit blogger claimed that the SNP's published accounts for 2018 did not contain enough money to cover the ring-fenced sums that were said to have been raised, around £660,000.

October 2020 - SNP has £97k in the bank: the Electoral Commission published the SNP's 2019 accounts. These did not list the referendum campaign funds separately and showed the SNP had around £97,000 to hand. Treasurer Colin Beattie says £593,501 was held in a separate 'referendum fighting fund'. He is later replaced by Dunfermline MP Douglas Chapman.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20744733 (190012ZAPR24) Notable: Final Operation Branchform Bun / Timeline of SNP finance investigation that has led to re-arrest of Peter Murrell

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March 2021 - Complaint to the police: the pro-independence activist Sean Clerkin makes a complaint to the police about the allegedly missing money. In the same month, three members of the SNP's Finance and Audit Committee resign over lack of access to the accounts.

May/June 2021 - More resignations: Mr Chapman quits his role after just six months, followed by fellow MP Joanna Cherry. Both claim they are being kept in the dark over the SNP's books.

July 2021 - Investigation launched: Police Scotland launch an investigation into potential criminality in the SNP's fundraising into after several complaints. It is later named Operation Branchform.

December 2022 - Murrell loan: it emerges that Ms Sturgeon's husband, the then SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, had made a loan of £107,620 made to the SNP in June 2021. The Electoral Commission were informed of the loan in August 2022. The SNP said the loan was to assist with cash-flow.

February 2023 - Sturgeon stands down: Nicola Sturgeon stuns the political world by announcing her decision to stand down as First Minister, just weeks after saying she had "plenty left in the tank". Also this month, it was reported that Police Scotland were planning to speak to central figures in the case.

March 2023 - Yousaf elected SNP leader: Humza Yousaf comes out on top of a bitter leadership contest ahead of Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, who later quit to join the Alba Party. He is portrayed as the 'continuity candidate' to Ms Sturgeon, with the full backing of the party machine. During the contest, Mr Murrell is forced to quit as chief executive after it emerged he had lied to the media over membership numbers.

April 2023 - Murrell and Beattie arrested: Peter Murrell was arrested and questioned for 12 hours, before being released without charge. Officers searched the Glasgow home he shares with Ms Sturgeon, along with SNP HQ in Edinburgh. A motorhome was seized from his mother's house in Fife. Two weeks later, Colin Beattie was also arrested, questioned and released without charge.

June 2023 - Sturgeon arrested: Nicola Sturgeon is arrested and questioned for around seven hours at Falkirk Police Station, before being released without charge. She says: "To find myself in the situation I did when I am certain I have committed no offence is both a shock and deeply distressing."

June 2023 - Yousaf refuses to suspend Sturgeon: following Ms Sturgeon's arrest, Ms Regan and SNP MSP Michelle Thomson both called for the 52-year-old to resign the party whip. However, the First Minister said there was no pressure for his predecessor to resign. The SNP group later buy her a bunch of flowers.

August 2023 - Livingstone steps down: Police Scotland chief constable Iain Livingstone retired, to be replaced by the force's first female chief, Jo Farrell. She assumed the role in October 2023.

October/November 2023 - Mr Yousaf's tenure is rocked by a succession of policy disasters, political U-turns and plummeting poll ratings, with the SNP trounced by Labour in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election and the revelation that Health Secretary Michael Matheson had falsely claimed an £11k data roaming bill on his parliamentary expenses.

January/February 2023 - the misery goes on for the SNP, with the UK Covid Inquiry's Edinburgh hearings proving particularly devastating for Ms Sturgeon who was forced to admit deleting all her WhatsApp messages despite promising to hand them over. Mr Matheson is eventually forced to resign.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20747503 (191522ZAPR24) Notable: Final Operation Branchform Bun / Timeline of SNP finance investigation that has led to re-arrest of Peter Murrell

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/peter-murrell-re-arrested-part-32620355

Peter Murrell re-arrested as part of Operation Branchform: All you need to know

The former chief executive of the SNP, and husband of ex-first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was taken into police custody by cops investigating the party's funding and finances.

David Walker

18 APR 2024

Peter Murrell, the SNP former chief executive, has been re-arrested by cops investigating the finances of the nationalist party. The husband of ex-first minister Nicola Sturgeon was taken into custody on Thursday morning to grilled as part of Police Scotland's Operation Branchform.

The force confirmed that a 59-year-old man had been taken to a police station to answer questions about the funding and finances of Scotland's governing party. He was previously arrested as a suspect over a year ago on April 5, and now on April 18 he was lifted at 9.13am.

Police Scotland said in a statement: “A 59-year-old man has today, Thursday, April 18, 2024, been re-arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. The man, who was previously arrested as a suspect on April 5, 2023, was taken into custody at 9.13am and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.

“The matter remains active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media. As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further at this time.”

What happened in April 2023?

Scotland was rocked on April 5 2023 when police raided the marital home Mr Murrell shares with Ms Sturgeon, and took him into custody. Detectives searched the house, near Glasgow, for almost two days and seized a number of objects, with a blue tent erected in the garden to give them privacy.

This has been a long-running probe into an allegedly missing £600k of funding raised by the SNP which was meant to be ring-fenced for campaigning for a second independence referendum. However, the money was not in the accounts in 2021, leading to a number of complaints to the cops.

On the same day last April, detectives raided the SNP HQ in Edinburgh and also took away a number of items. Police also seized a camper van from outside the Fife home of Mr Murrell’s mother. Former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie was later arrested before being released without charge.

Ms Sturgeon was also taken into custody in June 2023 before being released, and she has repeatedly stated her innocence, but failed to speak for her husband when she did this. Calls have been made for an update to Operation Branchform due to a lack of action in a year until today.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20747664 (191554ZAPR24) Notable: Final Operation Branchform Bun / Nicola Sturgeon having 'incredibly difficult time' after husband Peter Murrell charged in SNP finance probe (video)

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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nicola-sturgeon-having-incredibly-difficult-32626106

Nicola Sturgeon having 'incredibly difficult time' after husband Peter Murrell charged in SNP finance probe

The former First Minister was seen leaving her house near Glasgow just hours the former Chief Executive of the SNP was arrested and charged by Police Scotland.

Ruth Suter

19 APR 2024

Nicola Sturgeon has admitted it has been 'incredibly difficult' after her husband Peter Murrell was charged by police over the SNP's finances.

The former First Minister was seen leaving her house near Glasgow just hours the former Chief Executive of the SNP was arrested and charged by Police Scotland.

Sturgeon left her marital property on Friday and got into a car saying: "It's an incredibly difficult time for me, but that's not the main issue here. So I can't say anything more. I won't say any more if you don't mind.

"I'm now going for a quick walk if that's alright with you. I know you've a job to do but I ask you maybe to give my neighbours peace. There's nothing going to be happening here."

Last night Murrell was charged in connection the with embezzlement of funds from the party.

It comes as part of Operation Branchform, which is investigating possible fundraising fraud within the SNP.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "A 59 year old man has today, Thursday, 18 April, 2024, been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party.

"The man, who was arrested at 9.13am today and had previously been arrested as a suspect on 5 April, 2023, was charged at 6.35pm after further questioning by Police Scotland detectives investigating the funding and finances of the party.

"A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in due course. The man is no longer in police custody.

"As this investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20757714 (212147ZAPR24) Notable: GENDER SCANDAL Shock as former head of discredited NHS clinic claims kids as young as four choosing their gender was ‘step forward’

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12477714/polly-carmichael-clinic-boss-gender-young-kids/

GENDER SCANDAL Shock as former head of discredited NHS clinic claims kids as young as four choosing their gender was ‘step forward’

Under Dr Carmichael’s tenure, the Tavistock clinic in London was rated as 'inadequate' and shut up shop

Julia Atherley

13 Apr 2024

A SHOCK video shows the depths of gender ideology at a now-discredited NHS clinic that happily handed out hormone drugs to children.

Its former head is seen claiming kids as young as four choosing their gender was a “step forward”.

Dr Polly Carmichael also said she “totally” supported using the drugs despite admitting there was “very little data” on their long-term impact.

This week, a landmark report at last struck a blow for common sense when it warned that youngsters questioning their gender should be steered away from medical treatment.

It added the “rationale was unclear” for controversial puberty blockers.

But in 2016 Dr Carmichael — director of the NHS’s Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, which has now closed its doors — sang the praises of the controversial policy at an Amsterdam conference on transgender health.

A clip now posted on YouTube shows her discussing coverage of trans issues in the British Press, including a Sun front page story from that April.

She said: “So the theme now is shock and horror that we are teaching four-year-olds about gender.

“And then ‘kids, aged four, told to choose gender’.

“But I mean, you know, I think this is a step forward and actually perhaps is quite positive because maybe four-year-olds ought to be taught about gender.”

She added: “You know, many of the young people we meet talk about how they’ve always known they’re different, but it takes a TV character or something in the Press where they put it all together and say, ‘That explains my feelings’.

“So I think perhaps if we start earlier, if there are people who are missing out on earlier treatment, if that’s appropriate, they’ll be more able to express that.”

Under Dr Carmichael’s tenure, the Tavistock clinic in London was rated as “inadequate” by inspectors in 2020 and shut up shop in March after initially being told to close in 2022.

Critics have claimed its treatment for children was little more than experimental.

And in the 2016 speech, five years after joining the Tavistock, Dr Carmichael confessed to being unsure if the hormone blockers her team were prescribing to kids were completely reversible.

Yet, shockingly, she backed their use anyway.

She insisted: “I think we all feel the blocker and physical treatments are crucial and have been the biggest step forward for young people.

“And certainly their use, which was pioneered in Holland, has been incredibly successful.

“But actually the Dutch are the only team really who have published long-term perspective studies about this. So there is very little data available.

“And also, the data we have is on very wide age ranges.

“I guess I was surprised to see, but it makes sense, that very recently in 2015 an excellent paper looking at the views of young people aged between 13 and 18 was concluding that there is yet no consensus.

“So I think around the world we are practising very differently.”

She went on: “In terms of our service, we’ve had 44 young people in our early intervention project who were part of a research project, but we’ve now had 162 young people go forward for early hypothalamic blockers.”

At the time, only two kids had stopped taking the blockers since starting the treatment.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20757722 (212148ZAPR24) Notable: GENDER SCANDAL Shock as former head of discredited NHS clinic claims kids as young as four choosing their gender was ‘step forward’

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Dr Carmichael said: “I totally support this treatment. But I think it is about how we conceptualise it and the framework in which it is offered.”

She said that all young people who were put on the hormone blockers by her team were “resoundingly thrilled” and had not wanted to stop.

In a separate interview in 2016, Dr Carmichael said she prescribed puberty blockers to children as early as 2011.

It is understood she is in line for a payout of at least £80,000 following the clinic’s closure.

"I think this is a step forward and actually perhaps is quite positive because maybe four-year-olds ought to be taught about gender"

Dr Polly Carmichael

It is not known where she is currently working.

Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Conservatives Common Sense Group, said: “You can’t have four-year-old children, who are clearly not capable of taking decisions themselves, being put in positions where things could be said on their behalf by people like this.

“It’s more than irresponsible. It’s deeply disturbing and sinister.”

Puberty blockers are no longer routinely available as part of the NHS children and young people’s gender service following recommendations in a four-year review by consultant Dr Hilary Cass.

But concerns were raised after Tavistock staff were thought to have been given key roles in the new programme.

Dr Cass concluded doctors should exercise extreme caution when giving children hormones to help with their desire to transition.

And she warned the debate around trans issues had become toxic, leading to health professionals being unable to speak their minds.

She had been commissioned by ministers in 2020 to look into how the NHS should deal with the rapid rise in gender-questioning children.

Dr Cass said: “For most young people, a medical pathway will not be best to manage their gender-related distress.”

PM Rishi Sunak welcomed her review, saying: “We simply do not know the long-term impacts of medical treatment or social transitioning.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20757754 (212200ZAPR24) Notable: Final Operation Branchform Bun

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/10472747/who-is-peter-murrell-sturgeon-snp-chief-exec/

LEADING MAN Who is Peter Murrell? Nicola Sturgeon’s husband and former SNP Chief Exec

The ex-Nats chief is being investigated over the party's finances

Lynn Kernan

19 Apr 2024

PETER Murrell is former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's husband.

But he was also a leading figure in the SNP in his own right.

And before he stepped down earlier this year, he was a stalwart of the party for more than 20 years.

How old is Peter Murrell?

Murrell was born in Edinburgh in 1964 and attended Craigmount High School in the city before studying at the University of Glasgow. He is now 58 years old.

He worked his way through the ranks in politics and at one point worked for the office of Alex Salmond, the former party leader and Sturgeon's predecessor, in the Banff and Buchan area.

Eventually he replaced Michael Russell as Chief Executive of the SNP in 1999.

During his stint the party rose to prominence and he was partly credited with the success at the 2007 elections.

When did he meet Nicola Sturgeon?

Peter Murrell married his long-term partner Nicola Sturgeon in Oran Mor in Glasgow in summer 2010.

He had been at the helm of the SNP for more than a decade while she was Deputy First Minister to Salmond at the time.

The pair had first met in 1988 at an SNP youth weekend but didn't become a couple officially in 2003.

They didn't have any children and Sturgeon recently said she thought she would have been taken less seriously as a politician if she'd had kids.

She also previously spoke out about suffering a miscarriage when she was 40, shortly before the 2011 Scottish parliamentary election campaign.

Why did he step down as Chief Executive?

He was forced to dramatically resign as SNP chief executive amid claims of lies and vote-rigging in the leadership contest.

After Sturgeon stepped down, the race was on to find her replacement.

The public and press called for the SNP to reveal its membership figures.

The party’s national executive committee agreed to publish the figure, which was 72,186 as of February 2023, down from 104,000 members in 2021.

Murrell quit in disgrace after the Nats HQ - which he ran for 24 years - fibbed about the plummeting membership numbers, with the party losing 30,000 members in a matter of months.

Has Murrell been arrested?

Yesterday, Peter Murrell was charged with embezzlement in connection with an investigation into the handling of Scottish National Party finances.

Mr Murrel was previously arrested last year and quizzed as officers searched a property belonging to the couple — even checking inside a barbecue.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20757784 (212208ZAPR24) Notable: Our children have been failed by the SNP's ignorance and obfuscation on gender services

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/comment/children-been-failed-snps-ignorance-32628420

Our children have been failed by the SNP's ignorance and obfuscation on gender services

Scottish Conservative deputy leader MEGHAN GALLACHER says this issue is too important for the SNP to continue to bury their heads in the sand or play cross-border constitutional politics with

Comment/opinion

By Meghan Gallacher

20 APR 2024

I have been raising concerns about puberty blockers for quite some time. Last month, I asked the First Minister if the Scottish Government would follow NHS England's lead and stop them from being prescribed to children. And, back in 2022, I raised the issue with his predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon.

But instead of offering their unequivocal support for protecting our young people, the SNP Government ducked, weaved and insisted it was solely a matter for clinicians. Essentially, their message has been: “Nothing to do with us, guv”.

It’s simply not good enough for Humza Yousaf to pass the buck to the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow, when the methods and practices it has followed on gender issues have been condemned by the Cass Review.

According to Dr Hilary, the long-term effects of the treatments being administered by these clinics are unknown. In fact, prescribing puberty blockers to children could change the complete course of their sexual and gender identity development and wreak havoc on their mental health.

Alongside increasing their risk of anxiety and depression, we are forcing confusing and complex discussions on young people before their minds and bodies have fully developed. This is completely wrong, and the SNP Government should acknowledge it as such.

While the UK Government conducted this review and have responded positively to it, the SNP have dithered and obfuscated by suggesting that, because the report was for NHS England, it had limited relevance in Scotland. This is totally disingenuous, given Sandyford adheres to many of the same policies and practices as the now-shut Tavistock in London.

This week, I have been thwarted at every turn by the Scottish Parliament and the SNP Government in my attempts to get answers, via ministerial statements and Urgent and Topical Questions. On Thursday we learned – via the Sandyford website – that puberty blockers are no longer to be prescribed to new patients under the age of 18. This is a welcome development, but still no one from the SNP Government has fronted up to explain the sudden change of heart.

We still have dither and delay over their response to the other Cass recommendations. The cynic in me suspects this is down to Humza Yousaf’s coalition partners, the Scottish Greens, pushing back against Cass because it exposes the failings of the gender ideology to which they are wedded.

The Scottish Government have allowed transgender activists to influence official NHS policy, while preventing leading medical experts such as neuropsychologist Sallie Baxendale from providing much-needed experienced advice. Children accessing our gender services have been failed by their ignorance.

That’s why the SNP should urgently implement the Cass recommendations, rather than continuing to bury their heads in the sand. Our young people should not be failed by a lack of evidence or research when something as important as their health and wellbeing is concerned.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20769361 (240859ZAPR24) Notable: Final Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Three / Alison Thewliss refuses to say if she accepts Cass report and defends deal with 'science denying' Greens

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>Scotland will let pupils change gender aged FOUR without their parents' consent - and tells teachers not to question a child's request to choose a new name or use a different toilet

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/alison-thewliss-refuses-say-accepts-32649028

Alison Thewliss refuses to say if she accepts Cass report and defends deal with 'science denying' Greens

The SNP's home affairs spokeswoman at Westminster struggled when put on the spot during an interview with Good Morning Scotland

Douglas Dickie

23 APR 2024

Alison Thewliss has refused to say whether she accepts the findings of the Cass review which has questioned the use of puberty blockers in children. The SNP's Westminster home affairs spokeswoman also said it was for others to decide if the Scottish Greens were "science deniers".

It follows the SNP's coalition partners co-leader Patrick Harvie questioning the Cass review. The report was commissioned by NHS England in 2020 with Dr Hilary Cass publishing her findings earlier this month.

Its recommendations were endorsed by the NHS down south with two health boards in Scotland also pausing the use of puberty blockers in the aftermath. The SNP government has been criticised for dodging the issue and refusing to say if it backs the findings of the review.

However, Mr Harvie, a government minister, has had no such qualms, claiming it was not a "valid scientific document". And Ms Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, squirmed when put on the spot during an interview with Good Morning Scotland on Tuesday.

Asked outright by host Laura Maxwell if she accepted the findings of the Cass report, Ms Thewliss said: "I think the Cass report covers the healthcare service in England. I think the Scottish Government wants to look and see if there is any relevance for services in Scotland and that's for them to do."

She added: "What I have had in my inbox is people who are deeply concerned about the implications of this review for trans health care and I think that those people who are in the system, who use the system and desperately need it, their rights and needs should be considered."

Her refusal to back the report was described as "shocking" by Scottish Conservative Deputy Leader Meghan Gallacher MSP. She added: "Alison Thewliss’ defence of claiming that time is needed to decide whether the report is relevant to Scotland won’t wash with people living here.

"Her party have had to be dragged kicking and screaming into giving a statement to Parliament, after repeatedly kicking the issue into the long grass. While we know the gender zealots in the Greens are wedded to their ideological position on this issue, it should have been simple for this SNP MP to give a straightforward answer and reassure people she supports Dr Cass’s findings.

"The fact that she could not will be deeply alarming for those worried about the future wellbeing of our young people." Ms Thewliss was speaking against a backdrop of the Scottish Greens considering their position in the Scottish Government.

As well as the trans issue, the SNP ditching key climate targets has also driven a wedge between the partners. Mr Harvie's comments about the Cass review have led to accusations he is a science denier. Asked what she thought of that, Ms Thewliss took a long pause before saying it was "for everybody to make up their own minds".

She added: "I don't believe this is a part of the Bute House Agreement. The Greens have their opinion on that, other people have their opinion on that. We need to look at the evidence, we need to support people within the system.

"I think it's deeply regrettable some of the discourse that has emerged which has made a vulnerable group in society feel even more vulnerable. And I think trans people should be supported as best possible within the healthcare system."

Asked if SNP should also have their say on the Bute House Agreement, the MP said that was for party members to decide. She also said she had not felt a "huge groundswell" for a vote and claimed the partnership had been a "positive thing".

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20769377 (240918ZAPR24) Notable: Final Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Three / 'Shameful' Patrick Harvie doubles down on Cass Review criticism as Lorna Slater also 'dismisses' evidence

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/shameful-patrick-harvie-doubles-down-32642297

'Shameful' Patrick Harvie doubles down on Cass Review criticism as Lorna Slater also 'dismisses' evidence

The Scottish Greens co-leaders both appeared on BBC radio to dispute the findings of the report on transgender healthcare for children as they were accused of being 'wedded to dogma.'

David Walker

22 APR 2024

"Shameful" Patrick Harvie has doubled down on his criticism of the Cass Review as he refused five times to say whether he accepted the findings of the damning publication. And his Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater also failed to back the recommendations in the report.

Both Scottish Government ministers were accused of being "so wedded to dogma" that they are refusing to listen to "evidence-based findings of an expert clinician." We previously told how Mr Harvie was told he was not suitable for being in a decision-making role in Scotland due to his outright denial of the report into transgender healthcare for children.

Dr Hilary Cass published her long-awaited review into this issue two weeks ago, with the SNP Executive being urged to consider some of her recommendations. NHS Scotland did pause puberty blockers for those under the age of 18 after the clinician found that there was little evidence to support their use.

Otherwise, the government have refused to comment publicly on this, rebuffing requests for topical questions and ministerial statements, however one is expected to take place this week. But they are under pressure to reveal if they back the opinion of the Scottish Greens.

Mr Harvie told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show that he did not believe the Cass Review was a "valid scientific document" as he has "seen far too many criticisms of it so far to be able to say that." This led to accusations he believed trans activists over Dr Cass.

And he doubled down on these comments during an appearance on the Today Show as he refused five times to say whether he accepted her findings, instead hitting out at people allegedly "politicising and weaponising" it. He said: "That report, whether its intended that way or not, has been politicised and weaponised by those who are trying to attack and undermine transgender people's very existence in our society.

"Even the report itself says that puberty blockers should be available for young people and in fact that the general age at which they're prescribed, 15, is too old to get the benefit for those patients who need them. The report is being politicised and weaponised by those with an agenda to attack transgender people in the most horrific way."

On Good Morning Scotland, Ms Slater hit out at people "cherry-picking" from the report, before doing exactly this by saying she agreed with some of it, like the conversion therapy aspect, and also refused to say if she agreed with it.

The Scottish Tories blasted both Scottish Greens ministers for their "deflection and evasiveness" calling it "shameful." Deputy leader Meghan Gallacher added: “It is extraordinary that they continue to refuse to accept the findings of the Cass report and instead hit out at anyone who dares to disagree with their viewpoint.

“Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater are so wedded to dogma that they are dismissing the evidence-based findings of an expert clinician. The Cass report was damning on how vulnerable young people have been let down. Last week I was blocked at every turn in the Scottish Parliament to get answers from SNP-Green ministers. The promised ministerial statement this week must deliver those answers– not only for MSPs – but most importantly for the wellbeing of our young people.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20769482 (241026ZAPR24) Notable: Final Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Three / SNP's long-awaited Cass Review statement flops as party accused of appeasing Greens rather than helping kids

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snps-long-awaited-cass-review-32653159

SNP's long-awaited Cass Review statement flops as party accused of appeasing Greens rather than helping kids

The Scottish Government finally gave a ministerial statement about gender care for children but Jenni Minto failed to announce anything except another working group as the SNP were accused of placating the angry Scottish Greens through inaction.

David Walker

23 APR 2024

The Scottish Government's long-awaited statement on the Cass Review flopped after public health minister Jenni Minto failed to announce anything except another working group to deal with the report. She was accused of appeasing the Scottish Greens to keep the Bute House Agreement in place rather than helping gender confused children.

Instead, she said that the SNP Executive need more time to read the 400-page report and discuss the 32 recommendations in it. Puberty blockers prescribed to those under the age of 18 has already been paused in line with the review, which provoked anger within the Greens grassroots members.

This provoked anger within the chamber, especially from Scottish Tory deputy leader Meghan Gallacher who repeatedly requested a ministerial statement last week but this was rejected. She said: “This sorry excuse for a ministerial statement will offer no comfort to families who have been failed by gender care services in Scotland – because the Scottish Government’s direction of travel on this vital issue remains as clear as mud.

“As well as passing the buck to the health board for the decision to pause puberty blockers to new patients, this statement does not confirm whether the government will implement any of the 32 Cass review recommendations, nor does it address the cut to gender care services.

“This nationalist coalition claims that it supports young people experiencing gender distress, yet members of its own government have publicly dismissed the findings of an evidence-based, expert report. Today’s exercise in kicking the can down the road and stalling for more time, shows that the SNP are more concerned with holding together their fragile pact with the dogmatic Greens, than the healthcare of vulnerable young people.

“Parents and young people need a meaningful response to Cass, and an assurance that ministers will follow the science, rather than ideology.” Scottish Labour MSP Carol Mochan also blasted the statement, pointing out that "sitting on the fence to protect the stability of the Bute House Agreement is a terrible position."

Deputy leader of the party Jackie Baillie was equally as scathing as she said: "The Cass report is a four-year long piece of work that is evidence-based, informed by expert clinicians and those with lived experience so it deserves to be treated seriously. Yet this statement feels more like a sop to the Greens to keep the Bute House Agreement alive."

Ms Minto was asked repeatedly if her government agreed with Patrick Harvie who disputed the results of the review, claiming there was "too much criticism" of it, but refused to answer the questions. She instead outlined plans for senior medical officers to consider the clinical recommendations in the report.

She said: "A multi-disciplinary clinical team within the Office of the Chief Medical Officer in the Scottish Government, including paediatric, pharmacy and scientific expertise, will assess the clinical recommendations and engage with the relevant clinical community and leadership in Health Boards in relation to those recommendations. The CMO will provide a written update to Parliament on the outcome of that clinical consideration process before the Summer Recess.

"It’s important to note that in Scotland, we are already making progress in a number of aspects of gender identity healthcare highlighted in the Cass Review. So let me be clear – work has already begun, and I will remain engaged throughout.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20769588 (241121ZAPR24) Notable: Final Horizon Post Office Scandal Bun / Humiliation for Humza Yousaf as Post Office 'fib' earns him TWO community notes on X

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/humiliation-humza-yousaf-post-office-32657520

Humiliation for Humza Yousaf as Post Office 'fib' earns him TWO community notes on X

The SNP leader claimed he was 'utterly furious' about a UK Government decision not to extend legislation clearing subpostmasters to Scotland - despite the different legal system

Douglas Dickie

24 APR 2024

Humza Yousaf faced the indignity of earning TWO community notes on social media as users looked to correct his claims about the Post Office Horizon scandal. The SNP leader tried to stoke another grievance with Westminster when it emerged the UK Government would not extend legislation exonerating subpostmasters to Scotland.

The First Minister described it as "outrageous". But critics have been quick to point out the legal differences between Scotland and England - and the fact the Scottish Government's top legal advisor Dorothy Bain previously warned against a blanket exoneration.

In an interview with LBC, Mr Yousaf said he was "utterly furious" about the decision. But X users were unimpressed with his grandstanding as they looked to clarify the situation.

The clip was shared by LBC's Alan Zycinski but a community note was added reading: "A Freedom of Information Request (FOI) from Sam Taylor revealed that Humza Yusaf knew of the Horizon scandal in 2020 and he also knew that the prosecutions were under Scotland's separate legal system. So any legal redress would be conducted separately from rUK."

As if that wasn't embarrassing enough for the Nat leader, a second note then appeared on one of Mr Yousaf's own tweets in which he seemed to confuse Post Office with Royal Mail and called on a re-think. It read: "Humza Yousaf is confused between The Royal Mail and The Post Office which caused the scandal. Scots law has always been separate and is a devolved matter in Scotland. This is his responsibility as he is aware as former Justice secretary and now FM of Scotland."

Kemi Badenoch was among those to critice Mr Yousaf. The UK Government's Secretary of State for Business and Trade urged the Scottish Government to get a move on with clearing subpostmaster who were wrongly convicted due to a glitch in the Horizon system.

She said: "Scotland has a different legal system to the rest of GB. The SNP want independence but are too lazy to do the work. They have powers to get justice for the postmasters. They should stop whining and get on with it! Mr Yousaf has also confused Royal Mail with the Post Office".

Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr pointed out Mr Yousaf had previously displayed anger when he felt Westminster was involving itself in devolved affairs. And he added: "How big a fib do you need to tell to get Community Noted TWICE in one go?"

The Scottish Government is to bring forward its own legislation to exonerate subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted because of the faulty Horizon software. But Holyrood ministers have claimed it would be simpler if the UK Government’s legislation could instead be expanded to also cover Scotland.

But Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake said Scotland was a "historically separate legal jurisdiction", noting prosecutions had not been carried out by the Post Office, but by the Lord Advocate. He added: "It remains the UK Government’s view that it is more appropriate for the Scottish Government to bring forward proposals to address prosecutions on this matter in Scotland, and for these to be scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament."