Author Archives: Jamie Gillies

The saga of the SNP’s Hate Crime Bill is drawing to a conclusion. This week, Holyrood will cast a decisive vote on the embattled bill. Introduced just ten months ago, it seeks to consolidate existing hate crime laws and create new offences on the ‘stirring up of hatred’ against certain groups. These proposals would make ‘threateningContinue reading “Will the SNP finally see sense on its flawed Hate Crime Bill? The Spectator”

During a meeting of Holyrood’s Justice Committee last week, the justice minister, Humza Yousaf, faced an interesting line of questioning from Labour politician Rhoda Grant: ‘Does the Scottish government believe there are only two sexes or does it think that sex is a spectrum?’ A few years ago such a question might have elicited aContinue reading “Scotland’s hate crime bill could land Joanna Cherry in the dock – Sp!ked”

The SNP’s hate crime bill has done plenty of damage to the party’s credibility. But it seems the party leadership is determined to make matters even worse. The Scottish government has announced that it will withdraw an amendment to the bill that would have permitted free speech on transgender issues. This move, a capitulation to activists, putsContinue reading “The SNP was wrong to back down to the transgender mob – The Spectator”

The Scottish Government’s hate crime plans have encountered strong opposition from police officers, lawyers, academics, authors, actors and many others, concerned about a potential impact on civil liberties. Stirring up of hatred offences in part two of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill are massively controversial. These vague provisions cover “abusive” (rude and insulting) languageContinue reading “Free to disagree: SNP must drastically rethink its approach to hate crime – The Critic”

It’s hard to think of a policy proposal in recent years that has been met with more criticism than the Hate Crime Bill. In the last four months a huge number of organisations including the Scottish Police Federation, the Faculty of Advocates, the Law Society of Scotland, the National Secular Society, and the Roman Catholic Church have expressedContinue reading “It’s time to end the Hate Crime Bill saga – Press & Journal”

There is mounting concern these days about the erosion of free speech, a fundamental right in democratic societies. In the UK and abroad, we’ve witnessed the advent of so-called ‘cancel culture’, a chilling spectacle where individuals who express opinions outside of a narrow political orthodoxy are savagely attacked online and rendered cultural outcasts. Habitually weContinue reading “Scotland’s brand new blasphemy law – The Critic”