#get Liz Truss out now please

[noplace35]

What the actual fuck is going on in the House of Commons 😂

[alarrylarrie]

are u brazilian?

Nope! I surely am not. I’m regrettably USAmerican. But even I know how Bolsonaro is a horrible guy, and most importantly is part of an insidious worldwide anti-democratic backlash. Any time people can collectively raise their voices and rid themselves of someone like him, we are all better for it.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

please tell us more about your mad theory about the tories getting rid of Sunak?

So the Tories currently have two (2) major problems.

Problem the first: they are about to lose power as soon as the GE rolls around, which it must do by January 2025 at the absolute latest. And the country is baying for one sooner.

This is very much preoccupying their minds at the minute. The rich and powerful will never willingly let you vote away their wealth and power, and to put this into perspective, the Tory party has ruled this country either jointly or alone for over a decade at this point. One of David Cameron's strategies as leader was to focus on recruitment of young and exciting diverse Tories into the party, which is how we got such stellar entries as Liz Truss and Priti Patel and Suella Braverman. These are MPs, therefore, who have never known political life outside of being on the winning side. They are seeing the end of the gravy train in sight, and they are taking it as well as you'd expect.

This is why the infighting is so rife (partly; bear with). The main thing they care about right now is making the party electable again, and fast.

But...

Problem the second: like all good fascist dictators, when Boris Johnson came to power, he fired everyone who said anything bad about him for disloyalty, and promoted all his personal friends. This is how we got such stellar entries as Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees Mogg and Michael Fabricant. But THAT'S an issue because saying bad things about BJ is basically what intelligent people did, because the man was a useless blundering oaf who killed horrifying numbers of his own electorate via the world's second worst mismanagement of a global pandemic. So removing anyone who criticised him meant, in very real terms, removing the only Tories with half a brain who were even a fraction capable of doing joined up thinking required to run a country. Like, fuck every Tory with a cactus, obviously, but they did at least used to have competent, high calibre politicians, however evil and grotesque they were. David Cameron should die in a cesspit, but he was capable of remembering to put the bins out (before wage cutting the refuse collectors).

And therein lies the real problem: okay, BJ is gone, the party is in ruin, they're staring down the barrel of the most humiliating election defeat in history. They need someone competent that they all like who can take the reins and make people like them again.

But who's left?

There's no one. There's no one left. Not just because the remaining Tories are too low calibre to lead; they're too low calibre to even be able to pick someone without shrieking like cliquey little harridans on the playground about how the wrong in-group got in. Half of them are still BJ loyalists who hate anyone who criticise The Great Brexit Leader. The other half hate BJ for managing to make everyone hate the Tories so much that they're in this mess. Both halves are willing to sabotage the chosen leader of the other, locked in a battle of mutually assured destruction.

So how does Sunak fit into this?

He's unpopular in the party to a truly staggering degree, and not much better in the eyes of the public. He's tried to take a centrist stance on BJ, but that's actually just pissed off both sides. He did manage to stabilise the economy somewhat after the appalling mess Liz Truss threw it into, but he hasn't actually fixed it - we're still mid-cost of living crisis, we're still inexplicably not rich after Brexit like Boris prommied, inflation is still at an all time high as public services crash. The public hates him.

And he hasn't made the public stop hating the Tories. That petition calling for a GE is great, because it won't happen - BUT, it does force the issue to be debated in Parliament with opposition parties getting to stick the boot in, which means the humiliation continues. The Tories are starting to get desperate again.

And because this lot of Tories are, as mentioned, utterly terrible low-calibre political idiots, their response to this pressure has for the last four years been to oust the leader and get another.

And the first letters of no confidence have been sent into the 1922 Committee already. The devil moves fast, but knuckle dragging Tories with a fifth of a braincell each move faster.

And thanks to the absolute fucking state of them all... I cannot believe I'm saying these words, but genuinely the best person they have left who could possibly do the job is, of all fucking people, Michael Fucking Gove, and it won't even be him because he was mean to Boris once.

So yeah. I reckon Sunak may be out in six months. Fuck knows who we get instead. Probably Penny Mordaunt.

[johnnyrobish]

British Prime Minister Liz Truss Resigns After Only Six Weeks in Office

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has been forced to resign after just six weeks in office.  Her downfall came after she announced enormous tax cuts for the wealthy without any explanation as to how they'd be paid for, which sent the UK's economy into a massive freefall.  This made her time in office, the shortest tenure in history for a British prime minister.

Gee, only six weeks?  Wonder how many Scaramuccis that amounts to?  The big joke in the UK was “which would last longer, Truss’ tenure, or a head of lettuce?”  Well, lettuce think about that for a minute, because for her measly 49 days in office, she’s now entitled to an annual pension of £115,000 per year (approx. $130,000) - starting immediately.  Not a bad six-week haul for someone who says the “Welfare State” destroys people’s incentive to work.

Taking a page right out of “Donald Trump’s political playbook,” Prime Minister Truss chose her chancellor and close ally Kwasi Kwarteng to be the fall guy who would announce their insane plan to make the UK’s wealthy folks even richer, and when her approval rating quickly fell below that of a pit bull on crack, she then made him the scapegoat - and promptly fired him.  I can hear her now, “Who is this Kwarteng guy away?  I really didn’t know him.  I’m pretty sure he was just some guy who went out to get coffee for everyone here in the office.”  

Ironically, some Tories now want to replace Truss with disgraced former Prime Minster Boris Johnson.  However, word has it Johnson’s off partying in some undisclosed location, and is in no condition to comment. Meanwhile, QAnon fans are claiming it only took Truss two days after being appointed Prime Minister - to murder the Queen.  Of course, here in the US, angry MAGA Republicans have been blaming Jews and their space lasers for taking down the Tory prime minister.

Now, I realize some are asking just how can something like this happen in a sophisticated nation like the UK?  Well, the answer is conservatives these days would vote for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - just as long as he promised them “lots of tax cuts for the wealthy and harsh anti-immigration laws.”  I mean, is it just me, or does it almost seem like the United Kingdom is politically becoming an awful lot like Italy, only with much blander food?

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve just read, please consider joining me at:

[lizseyi]

Half Of UK Accountants Don’t Think Economic Pressures Will Ease For Three Years - TAG Consultancy

It is hardly news that small businesses up and down the UK have been facing pressures that are, in many cases, probably unlike any they have previously experienced.

Greater insight was provided into some of those pressures by the findings of new research ahead of the Autumn Statement by an accounting software company, which discovered that nearly a quarter (23%) of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) believed the UK economy had sustained irreversible damage due to COVID-19 and/or Brexit. 

Even more starkly concerning than that was the 64% of business owners who said they were worried their firms would not even survive the coming 12 months. 

Divides in opinion evident between business owners and accountants 

Intriguingly, the research findings show that accountants and business owners do not always have broadly the same view of the UK’s present and future political and economic outlook. 

Some 62% of accountants, for example, said they were either about the same or worse off under the government of Rishi Sunak, despite the widespread belief that his rise to the role of Prime Minister would help bring greater stability and certainty. 

However, this percentage fell to 45% in the case of SMEs, and it seems the UK’s small businesses have hope that the former Chancellor’s presence in Downing Street will enhance their prospects. 22% of SMEs – about a fifth – said they believed their business had a much-improved chance of surviving now that Mr Sunak is Prime Minister. 

How long did respondents expect the economic pain to last? 

The survey was first run in mid-October, when Liz Truss was Prime Minister. Back then, a total of 28% of polled accountants and business owners expected economic pressures to ease in three to five years. 

However, following the disastrous impacts of previous Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget, the expectation of recovery taking much longer has heightened, with the proportion of those anticipating it will take three to five years for economic pressures to ease rising to 38%. 

It seems from the findings that accountants are especially downbeat in their outlook, some 50% of those responding to the latest survey indicating they now think economic pressures will take three to five years to ease. Back when Liz Truss was in office, only 38% of accountants were of that view. 

Again, though, there are signs that small business owners might see Mr Sunak’s appointment as Prime Minister as a source of hope, as 28% of them now believe it will take one to two years for economic pressures to reduce. This is compared to 22% during Ms Truss’s truncated time in the top job. 

The poll findings did, though, show that accountants and small business owners continue to grapple with largely similar challenges, including inflation, recruiting difficulties, and escalating energy bills, which both groups cited as among their top pressures. 

Steps taken by SMEs to help deal with those pressures have included reducing employee benefits – as referenced by 24% of those questioned – as well as halting training programmes, which some 25% of small-business respondents said they had done. 

Allow TAG Consultancy to help firm up your business’s resilience in 2023 

With a New Year fast approaching, now is the time to ask yourself whether there are further steps you can take to cement your business’s survival prospects and help inspire growth for the 12 months ahead. Here at TAG Consultancy, we have long taken pride in assisting businesses in their efforts to achieve exactly that. 

We cater to the needs of individuals and businesses throughout Gibraltar with our leading-edge solutions – so, whether you are seeking out accounting, auditing or payroll solutions, or are instead looking for advice on the blockchain or to launch an AML-compliant token sale, we are available to help. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch now to arrange your free consultation. 

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2023/03/house-prices-see-biggest-annual-fall-since-2009

House prices see biggest annual fall since 2009

AFP

By Kevin Peachey & Nick Edser

Cost of living correspondent & business reporter

House prices fell in March at their fastest annual pace for 14 years, according to the latest figures from the Nationwide.

The lender said prices were down 3.1% compared with a year earlier, the largest annual decline since July 2009.

The Nationwide said the housing market reached a “turning point” last year, after the financial market turbulence which followed the mini-budget.

Since then, “activity has remained subdued”, it added.

“It will be hard for the market to regain much momentum in the near term, since consumer confidence remains weak and household budgets remain under pressure from high inflation,” said Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist.

A drop in house prices would generally be welcomed by potential first-time buyers, who have watched property values surge, even during the pandemic.

However, the reality is that renting has become more expensive for many people, and mortgage rates are higher than they might have planned for. The continuing rise in many regular bills and food prices are also adding to the financial strain.

The Nationwide’s findings, based on its own lending data, suggest prices have now fallen for seven months in a row. This echoes the general conclusion of other house price surveys and commentary, which show a slowdown in the sector and falling prices.

What is happening to house prices?

What happens if I can’t afford to pay my mortgage?

In March, the Office of Budget Responsibility – which advises the government on the health of the economy – predicted that house prices will drop by 10% between their peak last year and the middle of next year.

The Nationwide said that prices were already 4.6% below their peak, after taking seasonal factors into account.

Alice Haine, analyst at investment platform Bestinvest, said: “What is clear is that the red-hot property market of pandemic days – when buyers snapped up bigger homes in the race for space, aided by temporary stamp duty incentives – is now behind us, with buyers and lenders taking a far more conservative approach towards home ownership.”

Concern over mortgage rates is a major factor in the slowdown in the sector. Rates surged after last year’s mini-budget during the short-lived Liz Truss government.

Although the rates have dropped back partially since, a succession of base rate rises by the Bank of England have fed through – so interest rates on home loans are higher now than people became accustomed to in the past decade.

Although the UK’s housing market is made up of a series of local property sectors, the Nationwide’s regional breakdown for the first three months of the year suggested a slowdown across all areas of the country.

How does the fall in house prices affect you? Are you trying to buy or sell property? Tell us by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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Related Topics

Nationwide Building Society

Personal finance

Housing market

UK economy

More on this story

What is happening to house prices?

11 hours ago

Mortgage lending lowest since 2016 excluding pandemic

2 days ago

What happens if I can’t afford to pay my mortgage?

23 March

[energysolutions]

UK at ‘significant risk’ of gas supply emergency, Ofgem warns | The Independent

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The energy regulator has warned that the UK is facing a “significant risk” of gas shortages this winter.

Ofgem said that, because of Russia’s war with Ukraine, there was a possibility the UK would enter a “gas supply emergency”.

A gas supply emergency can be declared when suppliers are unable to safely get gas to homes and businesses.

Ofgem said: “Due to the war in Ukraine and gas shortages in Europe, there is a significant risk that gas shortages could occur during the winter of 2022-23 in Great Britain. As a result, there is a possibility that Great Britain could enter into a gas supply emergency.”

It could mean that some customers, starting with the largest industrial consumers, will be asked to stop using gas for temporary periods.

The aim would be to keep supplies stable for households for as long as possible.

The information, which was revealed in a letter sent from Ofgem last week and first revealed by The Times, spoke of the possibility of “gas supply emergency” measures due to the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has starved Europe of its main source of natural gas.

The energy supplier SSE said that by raising the issue with Ofgem it “would protect security of supply by ensuring gas-fired power stations are able to provide vital flexible generation through challenging periods”.

A spokesperson said: “There is broad industry agreement on the need to examine this issue, with the decision ultimately one for Ofgem.”

More than eight in 10 UK households use gas to heat their homes and more than 40 per cent of the electricity generated in Britain over the last year came from gas-powered plants. If a potential supply emergency gets bad enough this winter, these power plants, and other big gas users, might be cut off temporarily, Ofgem said.

Energy suppliers are concerned about a possible emergency ahead of the winter

(PA)

Tom Haddon, a senior consultant at Arcadis, said shortages were “viable”. But he argued that they were “so unlikely that it still sits in the red herring paddock”.

On Twitter, he said the government’s promise to top up payments for people’s energy bills regardless of what price the market sets would mean more suppliers bringing their liquefied natural gas (LNG) to British ports.

“Government has signalled to LNG markets it will allow utilities to pay any price for imports by enacting energy bills support,” Mr Haddon wrote.

He added: “Now, the bit missing is that super peak demand (cold, dark evening), where we would expect the gas to start flowing from Netherlands-based storage into the UK.”

He said the LNG capacity in the UK “still covers us, just”, but warned of massive price spikes.

Liz Truss ruled out energy rationing during her leadership campaign

(AP)

During her Conservative Party leadership campaign, Liz Truss claimed there would be no new taxes or energy rationing if she became prime minister. Pressed at a hustings event in August on whether she could rule out energy rationing, Ms Truss replied: “I do rule that out.”

However, former leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak said “we shouldn’t rule anything out” after the French government warned it might have to ration energy, urging company bosses to take steps to curb consumption.

At the time of her guarantee, Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, suggested Truss was “crazy” to rule out energy rationing.

He tweeted: “So if it is a cold winter and there simply isn’t enough energy to go round – which is a real risk – we are just going to have random blackouts rather than the government rationing non-domestic use so that vulnerable people don’t find themselves without heating.”

This content was originally published here.

[everbecomesreal]

On cynical days I feel like this conservative leadership election is only answering one question, is the conservative base more sexist or more racist, and as it turns out it's more racist.

[princessw0lf]

UK CITIZENS! Please read:

The government seems to be planning a big rollback of trans rights. Liz Truss, the Equalities Minister, is reportedly going to be talking to Boris Johnson in the next 48 hours to ask him to introduce legislation to achieve this. Specifically the following things are on the cards:

1. Scrapping reform of the Gender Recognition Act This legislation would seek to make it easier for people to change their legal gender marker. Currently the process can be lengthy, expensive, and demeaning, as a panel of strangers have to determine whether you’re “Trans enough”. Changes to make it simpler and quicker were planned and well-received by those who reviewed them - however the government is ditching the entire thing. Similar changes were made in Ireland with zero negative consequences - TERF fearmongering over people Self-IDing turned out to be exactly that, fearmongering only.

2. Make it more difficult for trans youth to access treatment Currently, trans people, including those under the age of 18, end up waiting 2-4 years on the NHS until they get an appointment. They’re then expected to spend two more years living as their gender before any treatment is even considered. Some people apparently think six years is not long enough to wait. Besides this, if you’re under-age, you cannot receive any permanently life-altering treatments: only therapy and puberty blockers (Which only delay puberty until you stop taking them). Still, the government seems determined to make this more difficult to access. They may also be cracking down on private clinics that offer these services, and possibly those they offer to adults (HRT and surgeries) - considering there are no plans to improve the NHS wait times, this would be a devastating blow to accessibility of treatment in the UK.

3. A US-style “Bathroom Bill” Just like the US south, TERFs are trying to raise hell about “single-sex spaces”, and specifically try to exclude people from using their preferred bathroom where they are comfortable and safe based on their anatomy. I could talk about this for hours, but it’s as daft an idea as ever - - Trans people are far more at risk of being the victim of sexual assault than they are the perpetrator. - It’s incredibly humiliating and demeaning to be forced to use a bathroom not belonging to your gender - How does this even get enforced? Do they check your genitals at the door? Do you carry around your original birth certificate? Who will do this? - So say you do an eyeball test - what about butches? Non-Binary people? Intersex people? AFAB people who have hormone conditions etc? Anyone who’s GNC? And if they expect trans men to use the ladies’, I guarantee they’d get turned away. - The supposed cis men who would impersonate a trans women to access the ladies’ bathrooms don’t need the excuse. They don’t need to wear a dress, live as a woman, take treatments - they would just do it. Why are trans women being punished for the actions of cis men? - Trans women will NOT be safe in the men’s bathrooms. We will be assaulted. I guarantee it. There are so many ways to address sexual assault in bathrooms and changing rooms if that’s really what they’re concerned about (It isn’t, they’re just transphobes) but why not advocate for more single-person bathrooms, for example? Forcing trans people into unsafe and undignified spaces isn’t the way.

So, what can I do?

(UK Citizens)

Tell Boris Johnson that you don’t want trans rights rolled back! Stonewall has an easy tool and template HERE

Write to your MP! Find their details HERE

(Everyone)

Spread the word! Reblog this, tweet about this, tell your friends!

Don’t panic! We can fight this! But let’s start fighting right now!

In Conclusion:

Cis friends and allies, we especially need you now! We are not a threat to anyone. We are not perverts, or mentally unwell, or criminals. We're just trying to live as ourselves. Please, if you can, write to your MP, sign petitions, boost our voices, and speak up for us. We need you!

[thessalian]

Thess vs Tories Will Eat Themselves

So, briefly while I take a break from Baldur’s Gate 3 (WHICH I CAN NOW PLAY; ALL IS FORGIVEN, LARIAN) and entirely reconsidering dinner plans, a note about the Conservative Party.

It is effectively eating itself.

Look, most of the time, a party leadership contest is a couple of people. Currently there’s at least a dozen, with more “actively considering a run”. Which says one thing to me:

Not ONE of these dogfuckers actually gives one tin shit about this country; they only want the power.

The favourite is still Rishi Sunak, ex-Chancellor. He tried a “man of the people; my grandma was a refugee” line in his pointless fucking campaign video. But please remember that this is a man who:

Was so out of touch with shopping for himself that he didn’t have the remotest idea how to operate a contactless payment system

Tried to do another “man of the people” photo shoot filling up a “regular car” with petrol but had to use a car belonging to one of the staff at the supermarket the petrol station was attached to because either his own car is too flash or he doesn’t really own one and gets chauffeured

Was declaring permanent residency in the UK while still holding a US Green Card, which is illegal, by the way

Allowed and probably encouraged his wife to claim non-domicile status to avoid taxes, and also allowed and probably encouraged her to commit fraud by taking Covid support for her gyms and then shutting them down before she was liable to pay that back

When trying to convince people that he understood the plight of the common man, talked about “we have six kinds of bread in my house” (MOST OF US ARE STRUGGLING TO AFFORD BREAD AT ALL, YOU FUCKBAKE)

Honestly, there’s no good option here. They’re all venial at best. That or stupid. Or both. I don’t know that it gets worse than Johnson, but ... honestly, with Liz Truss in the mix, it very well could be. At best, we get a rich gobshite who’ll get on their high horse about, “We’re the first party to have a woman PM and now we’re the first party to have a BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) PM, so who’s woke now, Labour?!?” so yeah. I don’t blame any of y’all Americans for breaking out the popcorn as the Tory party cannibalises itself, and while Johnson sits there as ‘interim PM’ and probably trying to fanangle a way to stay in office even having lost party leadership...

I don’t blame you, but I desperately wish I could join you. But I have to live here, so ... I dunno, send a bowl of that my way? Especially if it’s buttered popcorn; this country doesn’t do decent buttered popcorn. Not even at the cinema.

[crossdreamers]

The British government’s attack on young trangender persons is based on misleading information

The Conservative British Equalities Minister Liz Truss has announced that the government would like to restrict access to healthcare for transgender youth. 

She has said that the government response to 2018’s comprehensive public consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act would follow three “very important principles”, one of which is “making sure that the under 18s are protected from decisions that they could make, that are irreversible in the future”.

Over at twitter Owl gives a short and clear summary of the misleading way the British government and media present the real lives of transgender minors:

PSA: No surgeries or 'sex changes' are performed on people in the UK under 18. Please don't believe papers or platforms which say otherwise, because it's just not true.

Under professional care, kids can get puberty blockers that put a pause on puberty (no irreversible changes) and can then later on (earliest at 16) start cross-sex hormones. This is all done under guidance of specialists and with the person's well-being at the centre.

Research within gender clinics show that this has tremendously positive effects on people's mental and physical well-being, and kids that are fully supported in their identity and expression are happy. Their levels of depression and anxiety is on par with their peers.

Liz Truss' plans to ban all care for under 18's will have devastating effects on young people across this country and is not based on case studies, evidence or with young people's well-being in mind. It's lead by fear and misinformation.

Owl adds that  intersex people are still subjected to involuntary and unnecessary surgeries and interventions as children, which most be stopped.

Growing up trans has another interesting thread on the policy proposal.

@DadTrans writes:

There is a lot of misinformation on the question of legality of gender confirmation surgery for trans young people in the UK. On the NHS [the public National Health Service]  gender affirmation surgery is technically available from 16 (for top surgery) though in practice from 18 due to very long waiting lists.

Trans youth can access adult services at age 17. This has been the case for a long time for some adult GICS [gender identity clinics], however in 2018 the Gender Identity Services for Adults (Surgical Interventions) service specification standardised practice. All types of surgeries are available at 17.

This is the NHS specification. I'm also aware of some UK surgeons who have carried out top surgery on trans masc 16 year olds through private practice. In reality those who can afford & with finances / supportive parents & carers frequently travel overseas for surgeries.

The USA is the most popular destination for trans masc youth from the UK, with some traveling for top surgery from age 15. Thailand is the most popular destination for young trans women, with gender confirmation surgery available from age 18. Historically this was younger.

There is no "ban" on gender confirmation surgeries earlier than this in the UK. Consented surgery at an earlier age is not, as frequently reported, "illegal". The largest barrier to access to surgeries is the staggering waiting lists - up to 5 years for some adult GICS.

As more evidence has been published on the outcomes of transgender youth, & as knowledge has been shared in the medical community, so there has been growing awareness that gender confirmation surgery is safe, low risk with extremely high satisfaction levels.

There has also been increasing demand for surgeries at an earlier age from trans young adults. This is for several reasons: - Many want their first sexual experiences to be in a body which accords to their gender. - They want to develop alongside their peers.

- They want to get the 'trans stuff' out of the way before starting out on adult life - for many this feels on hold until body and gender match - There may be a natural break between high school & post high school education or work which would be disrupted by later surgeries.

For these reasons we are seeing gender confirmation surgeries in America, and by exception in Europe and elsewhere at earlier ages. At the very earliest this is from 13 or 14 for top surgery for trans masc Gillick competent adolescents & 15 or 16 for young trans women.

Worldwide there is now effectively (multiple tiers) or access to transition surgeries for trans young adults. There are two major factors in access. Firstly parental /familial support - few young adults are able to access surgeries without supportive family. Second Financial.

Gender confirmation surgeries are expensive and outside the reach of most adults, let alone those coming out of their teens. The barriers for the vast majority of young trans adults are insurmountable. Lack of parental support, barriers to education dysphoria, stigma.

Associated mental health issues, barriers to access to standard, (non trans related) healthcare, high levels of forced homelessness, unemployment / under employment, discrimination, self harm and suicide ideation. This is every day life for many trans people around the world.

Surgeries for many are a luxury that is beyond reach. When we hear of trans young adults accessing surgery it is usually because they have hugely supportive families & home life & with the financial means or determination to make financial sacrifices (remortgaging homes) to help.

I've used the term surgeries above because there are many different types of surgery & reducing all gender confirmation health care into a single 'surgery' is reductive & lacks clarity. I believe in body autonomy, gillick competence, medical expertise & access irrespective of £$.

Also included in body autonomy is the fact that many trans people do not want or need surgeries. A trans person with or without surgery is no more or less trans. All require legal protections & access to medical care without prejudice or stigma.

Note gender surgeries do take place in the UK on children. The vast majority of these are on intersex children shortly after birth and without their consent. This is never talked about in the media. I support intersex people in their fight for voice, body autonomy & consent.

Please read the NHS service specifications for surgical interventions. 

You can sign the Change.org petition against the proposal here.

[seeaddywrite]

MOAR Michael and Isobel, please!

i legit spent five minutes wondering what you meant by more, because i’d totally forgotten that isobel & michael got some quality time together in the fic i wrote where michael was ‘dying.’ so, here you go! i hope this is what you wanted. 

     When Michael’s got Noah secured in his lab, surrounded by nullifying powder he’d repurposed from the batch used to trap him and Max just a few days prior, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Restless energy burns under his skin, the need to do something, anything, impossible to ignore. But the other man is unconscious, and will likely remain so for a while as Liz’s antidote does its work. Thus, Michael knows he’s not getting any answers that night, which only increases the desperation to act. He’s too late to save the woman in the cell at Cauffield – his mother, with those desolate, pain-filled eyes and the simple, grief-soaked words she’d managed to push through to him. I love you, my son. Now run.

     The words have replayed over and over in Michael’s head, drowning out all of the usual noise and chaos until he wants to scream.  He wants it all to stop, wants to drown the images and the pain out with as much whiskey and acetone as his body can take. But Maria’s avoiding him, so the Wild Pony is off limits, and his own stash of booze ran dry when Alex came back to town. 

    Alex. Michael flinches away from the thought of the other man; he’s not stable enough to even begin parsing everything that had passed between them today. It’s too much, on top of everything else, and Michael’s afraid his tentative calm would shatter if he even tried. So drinking’s out, drowning out the noise in his head with great sex is out, and going to Max is definitely fucking out – he’s understands why his brother did what he did, but there’s something about having a gun pointed at his head that makes him leery of going back. Even if picking a fight with Max has been one of his favorite distractions for a decade. 

   That leaves one other person, and Michael knows he shouldn’t do it. Isobel has enough on her plate – she’s suffering, too, in trying to deal with Noah’s betrayal and the fact that her bodily autonomy had been stripped from her. She’s been living a lie for years, and she needs time and space to recover from it. And the last thing she needs, Michael is certain, is him showing up at her door right now.

    But beyond Max, Isobel, Alex, and Maria, Michael’s got no one. Without them, he’s so fucking alone that he feels like he could throw his head back and scream without anyone noticing – he could wind up dead at the bottom of a gorge and no one would even care, aside from maybe lamenting his wasted potential. And if there’s one thing Michael can’t stand, it’s total isolation; he needs people, needs his family, even if he hates to admit it. 

   So he winds up at Isobel’s, on foot, a few hours later. He lingers on the porch, trying to figure out if he’ll be welcome or not - there are plenty of reasons for Isobel to ask him to leave, after all, if she even talks to him. Max would’ve called her by now, warned her that Michael’s lost his damn mind and given the man she wants dead the means to save himself. She’ll know that Michael has Noah trussed up in his lab, and has no intention of allowing anyone to harm him until he gets the answers he’s looking for – and Michael doesn’t know if she’ll forgive him. God knows she has all the right in the world to want the man who betrayed her dead, after all. But Michael can’t give her that, just like he can’t get the sight of his mother’s soft smile out of his head. Watching another of their people die, even if he is a psychopath, isn’t something Michael is prepared for. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to pick up the pieces afterward, this time. 

    “Are you planning on brooding out there in the cold all night, or are you coming inside?” Isobel’s voice is sharp, and Michael flinches in surprise. He looks up at her and something inside of him crumbles. She’s wearing a pair of sweats too long and wide to be her own. and a long t-shirt he thinks he recognizes from his own closet. He scrutinizes it for a moment, and yep, there’s the oil stain from Mrs. Carrerra’s old Buick on the hem. The sweats are probably Max’s; Isobel has never taken to loneliness very well, and clings unrepentantly to her brothers in times of crisis. Michael’s always envied her the ability to reach out and take the affection she needs – he’s never been able to ask, no matter how much he wanted to. 

     Michael opens his mouth to respond, then closes it again, and just follows Isobel through the porch doors and into the living room she’d designed for her and Noah to share when they first moved in. He sits down on the arm of the couch, shoulders hunched, while she takes over the cushions and wraps a blanket around herself. They sit in silence for a moment – until Isobel breaks. Because even in the midst of all this tragedy, she isn’t good at silence. “I was trying to call you all day,” she tells him, expression pinched. “Not just to tell you about Noah. I could feel you.” There’s a moment of hesitation, and she swallows, looking away fro him. Michael frowns, because Isobel is never shy, or afraid to say what’s on her mind.  “I can still feel you. And you’re breaking my heart, so will you just get over here and let me hug you already?” 

    The chuckle that startles from him is short and strangled, but more than he’s managed since watching Cauffield go up in flames. He lifts his gaze from his knees to look at Isobel, who’s watching him expectantly with her arms spread wide. She’s the best of them at hiding how she’s feeling, Michael knows – her powers don’t go haywire, and she’s good at wearing masks in public. For Isobel, her entire life is a costume, and always has been, but now, the props have begun to come up missing, and the theater is burning down around her. Yet here she is, holding out her arms to Michael, despite what he’s done. 

    “Did Max –” 

    “If you’re about to bring up the fact that you have my murdering soon-to-be ex-husband tied up somewhere, don’t,” Isobel snaps. “I know, okay? But I can’t decide to hug your or hit you for saving him, because there’s some demented part of my subconscious that’s still in love with him.” Her voice cracks, and Michael has never been able to deny Isobel anything when she cries. Their relationship has always been so much simpler than his with Max; Isobel has always been in his corner, has always been a willing hand to hold or partner in crime, and he loves her. It’s why he’d been willing to let her believe him a murderer, rather than know the truth, and why half of his life has been dedicating to keeping her safe and happy. 

    So Michael slides down into the couch and takes her into his arms, hugging her gently against his chest. The familiar smell of her floral shampoo against his nose relaxes something tense within him, and he buries his face in the top of her head, trying to stop himself from dissolving into tears alongside her. 

    They stay like that for longer than Michael can keep track of time, until Isobel lifts her tear-stained face and wipes away the wetness on her cheeks determinedly. “No,” she says firmly, and Michael’s pretty sure she’s talking to herself more than him. “I am done crying over that son of a bitch. He doesn’t deserve it.” Clear green eyes focus on Michael, narrowing slightly. “And don’t think this gets you out of telling me what the hell you’re thinking, giving him his powers back. I am mad at you.  He wore me around like a cheap suit and used my hands to –” She trails off, voice wavering again, but plows on determinedly, as Isobel always does. “But I’m choosing to believe that you have a good reason. And Max is, too, by the way. He’s been beating himself up for pulling that gun since he let you go.” 

    Michael swallows, and addresses the easiest of those topics first. “Max was never going to shoot me,” he says certainly. “And it’s not like I don’t get it.” Unleashing a mind-warping serial killer on the town is definitely worth a gun, even if in reality, it hit Michael like a blow in the chest that his brother really believed that he would ever let him loose, knowing what he’s done. 

    “Then why’d you do it?” Isobel asks, and her voice is unexpectedly gentle. He glances up at her, surprised by the change in attitude, and finds a faraway quality in her eyes that he recognizes. She’s in his head, or at least picking up on the emotions he knows he’s bound to be broadcasting. Part of him flinches away from the intimacy of such a thing; he doesn’t want anyone in his head, not even Isobel. But he knows he won’t be able to say the words aloud, or get through any succinct explanation of the day’s events without losing his mind – and there are way too many breakables in Michael’s house for him to let go like that.

     “Iz,” he tries, but she’s already shaking her head, and leaning back in to rest her head on his shoulder. 

      “It’s okay,” she tells him, taking one of his work-roughened hands between both of her soft ones. It’s not the scarred one, thank God, because Michael doesn’t know if he can handle thinking of that particular tragedy right now – he’s got enough circulating in his brain. Even now, the gentleness with which Isobel handles him threatens to break all of the walls he’s erected around today’s experiences, and the lump in his throat is rapidly growing past the point where it can be denied. “Whatever it is, Michael, I’m right here. You don’t have to tell me. Just let me in.” 

    The images that have been threatening to overwhelm him all day won’t be denied. He breaks her grip on his hand and grips her wrist instead, needing the anchor as the pain and horror and shock of the day wash over him in a wave, decimating his walls like an angry tsunami. He can feel her with him as he relives it all, from Alex’s visit to his trailer to the moment he grasped his mother’s hand in the hell-hole, and her body trembles where it’s slumped against his somewhere in the midst of the memories. Michael wants to stop, to withdraw and check on her, but as always, he’s powerless against the noise in his head. The memories keep playing – Michael’s determination to stay with that woman, no matter what his fate, Alex’s insistence that he’s family, that he loves him  – and finally, that whisper in his head. I love you, my son. Now run. And then he’s watching the building burn in front of him, his body shaking, and the desolation and anger he felt then swamps him again, spilling into Isobel. 

     Michael comes back to himself slowly, and finds that now, he’s half horizontal on the couch, his jean-clad legs splayed in front of him on the cushions while his entire torso is being held up by Isobel’s body. Her arms around around his neck, and she’s crying into his hair, sobbing apologies and her own fury as she tries to comfort him. It helps, strangely, to know that someone else is morning his mother as he is – sharing the load lightens it, though Michael knows better than to think it’s anywhere enough. 

     “I’m sorry,” he croaks, surprised to find his voice hoarse. “You didn’t need to –”

     “Shut up,” Isobel tells him, sniffling. “I’ll come with you, tomorrow. To talk to Noah. He might -” she makes a disgusted face, trying to mop the wetness from her face with her sleeve. It doesn’t mask her emotional turmoil, but Isobel doesn’t do vulnerable well. That’s something Michael’s always understood about her. “He might be willing to talk to me. And if he’s not, I’ll get in his head and I’ll make him give you the answers you want. And if he knew about that place, I really will be a murderer.”

      For some reason, hearing Isobel voice the same thoughts Michael has had himself shocks him, and he shakes his head vehemently. “No, Iz. You’re no killer. And I don’t – I don’t think I can –” 

     Isobel looks at him thoughtfully, and runs a shaking hand over his hair.  “You don’t want anyone else to die,” she summarizes, exhaling loudly. “I don’t know what other options we have, Michael, but I don’t think either of us is up for trying to figure it out tonight.” She glances around the room, and grabs the blanket behind her to cover them both with it. It’s probably an awkward position for her, with Michael leaning so heavily on her thin frame, but she doesn’t make any effort to move him. Again, he’s struck with how much he loves Isobel -he may never have felt like he belonged on earth when he wasn’t with Alex, but he’s never questioned his place in his sister’s life, or her place in his. And that, he realizes, is something he can’t let himself take for granted anymore. 

     “Will you stay here tonight?” she asks finally, and Michael’s never been so grateful for a subject change in his life. He catches a breath – he’s been holding it, he realizes belatedly – and nods immediately. He’s not sure if she’s making the offer because she can tell that the idea of being alone makes him want to yank his hair out, or because she genuinely doesn’t want to suffer by herself, either, but Michael doesn’t think it matters. In all reality, it’s probably a combination of both, and that’s best. That way, they can look after each other. 

     “Great,” Isobel says, and there’s a glint of mischief in her tone that surprises Michael. He turns his head to look at her, warily, trying to figure out what she’s playing at. “Then you can tell me all about Alex Manes, and why I had no idea that you’re in love with him.”

      Michael drops his head against the couch and groans, borderline hysterical laughter bubbling up in his throat. And, god help him, he tells her everything, letting her share the last of his secrets with him. As midnight turns to early morning, and the sun begins to peek over the desert horizon, Michael finally feels himself begin to relax, and thinks that maybe, just maybe, they’re going to make it through this. Both of them. 

[ukimmigrationmatters]

New Government, New King – What Will This Mean To Property Investors?

In a momentous week the UK has witnessed a new incoming Prime Minster, Liz Truss, new government and team, change of housing minister and a new Head of State, King Charles III.

What does this mean for property investors?

Watch video version - https://youtu.be/eLnQ2gDWq08

Key Takeaways:

·        Queen’s death Bank of England delays base interest rate decision on 22 September.

·        UK interest rates were predicted to rise to 2.25%.

·        Economy still in trouble, but Liz Truss in borrowing over £100 billion to pump more money in to boost jobs and growth.

·        Massive infrastructure projects.

·        Energy bills capped.

·        Green levies halted.

·        Move away from obsession with everything going ‘green’?

·        HMO and SA landlords will be pleased to hear that bills are being capped.

·        Will we see any changes to renters reform or legislation on EPCs?

·        Mortgages are becoming more difficult to obtain and rates are going up.

·        Investors looking to the north for higher yields – 7 to 10%.

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Borrow and Grow Rich is available now - https://www.amazon.co.uk/BORROW-GROW-RICH-USING-PEOPLES/dp/B09PHH7KK5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=borrow+and+grow+rich&qid=1662904207&sr=8-1

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[thatsonemorbidcorvid]

LGB ALLIANCE SUMMER NEWSLETTER

LGB Alliance only started up in October 2019. We hope you agree we’ve played our own small part in helping to change the terms of the debate in the UK and elsewhere about sex and gender, gender identity, and the threat to LGB rights and to women.

We’re so grateful to everyone who follows us on Twitter and Facebook. We know that social media isn’t where this debate will be won. We’ll only win the debate if we all take the points we make and share on social media, the arguments we construct, the information we try to highlight and present them to our families and friends, to work colleagues and our schools, as well as the other institutions that have been captured or are in the process of being captured by … our good friends the trans lobby.

A special word of thanks must go to our donors. We are an organisation of volunteers. None of us get paid and we are determined to put every penny to good use.

You probably know already that we also have a shop selling a veritable array of customised must-have summer items – V necks, T-shirts, pens, mugs, bags – oh and beanies and hoodies for chilly evenings. https://lgballiance.org.uk/shop/

Check it out and please post photos of you wearing any of the stuff on our Twitter or FB pages.

Here is lifelong LGB campaigner (present at the Stonewall riots) Fred Sargeant being out and proud.

So, what’s been keeping us busy? First, we were delighted if a little overwhelmed by the enormous interest in LGB Alliance soon after the first meeting – both positive and negative responses poured in. As far as we know, we are the only LGB group in the world to push back against gender identity theory, and the lines were drawn almost straight away.

Allison Bailey, who has now publicised her case suing Stonewall, and Paul Twocock, then acting CEO of Stonewall, sent us into the Twittersphere. First Allison Bailey and the tweet that launched us in a good way: This led to a report in the Telegraph, 23 October 2019:

“Europe’s biggest LGBT rights organisation has split after being accused of promoting a ‘trans agenda’ at the expense of gay and lesbian rights.”

Then, Paul Twocock, acting CEO of Stonewall, responded by tweeting out the same day, 23 October 2019: “There is no truth to reports of Stonewall ‘splitting’, so please ignore the alarmist headlines.”

It was kind of Paul Twocock to alert Stonewall’s 200k Twitter followers to our existence. The reaction was immediate and global. On the one hand, we were showered with messages expressing enormous relief and support: “Finally you are here!” “Please help us in Canada!” “When are you setting up in Australia?” “Your organisation is so necessary!”. On the other hand, some people thought our mere name expressed hostility and set about defaming us rather than listening to our message and engage with us.

We have tried to strike a balance between pursuing our goals and taking action against those who defame us and try to bring us down.

However many times we explain that we are not anti-trans, that we believe it has become necessary to form a group specifically around sexual orientation, the concerted efforts to misrepresent us and stop our work have continued

Organisation

After the initial wave of attention and enthusiasm, the challenge was to organise ourselves quickly. LGB Alliance had only been our working title – but suddenly we were in the public arena and the name stuck.

Our two founders Kate Harris and Bev Jackson asked five strong people to join them in a steering group. The seven of us (majority lesbian) come from very different backgrounds but we soon forged a unified and effective group. We registered as a limited company, hired a brilliant designer for our logo, GIFs and other visuals, and set up a JustGiving page (yes…THAT JustGiving page)

Messages

We then set about communicating our message. Over just a few months we found ourselves name-checked in numerous pieces by major journalists from Janice Turner (the Times), James Kirkup (the Spectator) and Gina Davidson (in the Scotsman).

Here’s the Janice Turner piece:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stonewall-has-lost-its-way-on-the-trans-issue-hd3lw08wb?shareToken=0bdb8271417eadb4f00919a4c1c87cf9&fbclid=IwAR1Bq_52hTQ-nz0p_RTfl1QpgqGU1vGVjWfYW8e3zeLDJVRgbI8PcbYTXA

Funding

JustGiving was our only source of funding until it was taken down in May after several thousands of pounds were donated in the name of John Nicolson MP, who has taken a mysterious dislike to us. Now we can accept donations via our website. Once we gain charitable status we will start to apply for grants from charitable foundations.

Press, radio & TV

Our campaign against the Gender Recognition Reform Bill in Scotland helped break down barriers. As a leading force in the opposition to the Bill, we were harder for the press to ignore. We were quoted in everything from the Sun and the Herald in Scotland to the Guardian (in the latter case we should say misquoted since our activities prompted one of many outbursts by the Guardian columnist Owen Jones). We were interviewed on TV on both STV (the Nine) and the BBC’s Daily Politics. We broke radio too with an interview Kate Harris did on the Jeremy Vine show (one of Radio 2’s highest rated shows) and one Malcolm Clark did on BBC Radio Scotland’s John Beattie show.

Our most recent radio interview was with Bev Jackson on Talk Radio. You can hear it on our YouTube channel.

Twitter and YouTube channel

We have focused a lot of effort on how to get our message out on social media. We started with Twitter, where we tried to develop and cultivate a brand of reasonable messaging largely led by Bev Jackson: never personal, never abusive, always reaching out and seeking dialogue. Thanks to all of you we now have almost 27k followers – a fantastic result.

Later we set up our website and Facebook page, and a YouTube channel on which we started recording interviews with historical LGB rights activists.

Allison Bailey, Kate Harris and Bev Jackson gave several talks in addition to those at our Glasgow launch in January: Allison introduced the WPUK event “A Woman’s Place is at the Lectern” and chaired the panel of leading female academics. She also spoke at the Hackney Resisters event “Women & Girls Under Attack”. Kate spoke on “Stonewall Law” at the “Make More Noise” event in Manchester and Bev at the London event “Defend Us or Expel Us” just before the lockdown. All these talks are either on our YouTube channel or are available through a link to our favourites there

Defamation and sabotage

From the first day, we set up, fake Twitter accounts and web domains were set up to impersonate us and mislead our followers. We reported them and received a Nominet ruling against a mischief-maker in March 2020. Some of the domains were linked to Stonewall. Eventually, after we sent a warning letter to Stonewall about accepting this unlawfully redirected traffic, Stonewall stopped accepting this redirection.

LGB History

Like all of you, we are tired of our history being rewritten. We are particularly glad that we have the ongoing support of Fred Sargeant and other pioneers of the LGB movement in the US. Have a look at Bev’s interviews with Fred and with Martha Shelley on our YouTube channel. And there’s another one with Allison Bailey interviewing the British lesbian champion Linda Bellos.

Pink News

Early on, Kate Harris gave an interview to Pink News, which then misrepresented her words and defamed us. Since then we have declined every request to give comments to Pink News, which has escalated its campaign of lies about us. Hilariously, now every time they attack us they seem to fall over themselves or come a cropper. Maybe they’re getting desperate.

Application for charitable status

This has been a long process – made longer by a serial petitioner posting a petition full of defamatory lies set up with the intention of trying to block our application for charitable status.

Despite this, we are confident that we will become a charity in the next month or two.

When LGB Alliance is a charity

Once LGB Alliance is a charity, we will appoint head-hunters to seek LGB trustees representing protected characteristics in the Equality Act and all areas of the UK. The job descriptions will be written to ensure that we have a full range of qualified individuals to run the organisation and its campaigning work.

Labour Party

During the leadership campaign, we saw one of the most bizarre examples of prejudice against us. It is said that some candidates now regret this, but at the time Lisa Nandy, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Dawn Butler and Angela Rayner all endorsed a “trans rights pledge” describing us as a hate group. None of them has apologised or responded to our requests for a meeting.

No Labour party MP or Peer has agreed to meet us despite our requests.

Conservative Party

We’ve had more luck with the Conservatives both in the Commons and the Lords. We feel certain our influence and our arguments are finally beginning to percolate into the corridors of power. But this is just a start.

Allison Bailey

There were also shocking personal attacks, especially on Allison Bailey, who, as one of our most outspoken representatives and as a barrister, was in a particularly vulnerable position. As you probably know, Allison is now suing Stonewall and Garden Court Chambers. See @BluskyeAllison

Police

We met with senior Met officers to highlight the common misinterpretation of the Equality Act by the police and the peculiar LGBT activism of groups within the police force, which focus on protecting trans rights at the expense of the rights of lesbians and women in general. We are meeting DCC Julie Cooke, the national police lead on LGBT matters at the end of July for further discussion.

EHRC

We submitted a detailed complaint to the EHRC arguing that Stonewall is in breach of the 2010 Equality Act and will be following this up in due course. A copy has been forwarded to Liz Truss via Baroness Nicholson.

FOUR GOALS FOR 2020

Press Pause on Gender Recognition Reform Bill Scotland

Stopping the teaching of gender identity in schools

Get fair representation in all government discussions on LGB issues

Highlight the dangers of medicalising “gender non-conforming” children

GOAL 1 Press Pause on Gender Recognition Reform Bill Scotland – success!

In December 2019 the Scottish government introduced its Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which would have introduced gender self-ID in Scotland. We turned all our attention to raising public awareness of the damaging consequences of self-ID to the rights of women and LGB people.

We organised a coordinated programme of events, ads, interviews and lobbying of Scottish parliamentarians under a campaign logo of “Press Pause” on this Bill. The idea was that the bill was too dangerous to rush through and lawmakers would need to think again.

The campaign kicked off with the launch of the LGB Alliance Scotland at Oran Mor, Glasgow, in January with over 150 people hearing speakers ranging from our supporter Simon Fanshawe to a range of feminist organisations and our own Rhona Hotchkiss and Malcolm Clark as well as Kate and Bev.

We took out a number of full-page ads in Scotland’s opinion-forming papers, the Herald and Scotsman in our trademark powerful graphic style and branding. These instantly became the subject of heated debate, raising public awareness, not least among our opponents, a motley crew of well-funded LGBTQ+ organisations and B-list celebrities, who were so incensed they complained to the Advertising Standards Authority. The complaints were roundly rejected, which gave us absolutely no satisfaction. At. All…

As part of the campaign, we presented evidence at a major seminar at Holyrood on the dangers of reducing the age of consent for a Gender Recognition Certificate from 18 to 16 (one of the provisions in the proposed reform) as well as the dangerous practice of treating children with puberty blockers. Many Scottish parliamentarians attended and expressed dismay that they had not heard this side of the argument before (something we hear almost every time we do get to speak)

Eventually the Bill had to be shelved: partly due to rising dissent among SNP members sparked by the increasingly negative press, partly due to the efforts of LGB Alliance and women’s groups in Scotland). COVID-19 also meant there would be less parliamentary time to devote to such a controversial bill.

GOAL 2. Stopping the teaching of gender identity in schools – postpone introduction of Stonewall’s “Creating an LGBT-inclusive primary curriculum” and other resources for relationship and sex education (RSE) – work in progress

We are very busy lobbying to stop some weird stuff going on in schools. First, we want the doctrine that there are over 100 “genders”, as taught by the BBC no less, in its so-called education programme for KS2 (age 7 to 11), to be taken down. Who is teaching this stuff and why is it being allowed? Second, we want to stop the introduction of the “LGBT-inclusive primary school curriculum”, written by Stonewall. Despite its pleasant-sounding name, it is a doctrinal curriculum that teaches young children that everyone has a gender identity and that kids who do not conform to gender stereotypes may have been born in the wrong body. It clearly needs to be replaced by a more sensible LGB curriculum, and that is what we are seeking to achieve. Third, we want to stop a whole series of groups going into schools and filling kids’ heads with nonsense. If a little boy comes home in floods of tears because he’s a bit “girlish” and thinks that he is suddenly going to change into a girl – just one of the stories that we heard – something has gone seriously wrong

In later editions, the Government Equalities Office logo no longer appears on the cover

Our campaign is underway right now. We started with an article in the Daily Mail by Andrew Pierce. We wanted to move outside the Twittersphere, and the Mail is now the UK’s top selling paper. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8457587/One-four-parents-aware-controversial-curriculum-11s-emphasising-transgender-rights.html

If all goes to plan, we will be following with a half-page ad drawing attention to what is going on. We will then ask all of you to write letters, tweet, ring up radio shows and generally lobby for the use of these resources to be suspended (some are already in use) while the Department for Education conducts a thorough review of curricula and materials put out by groups like Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence, the Proud Trust and others. We believe their materials encourage gender stereotypes and cause confusion in children from age five and up. No child should be given the idea that he or she may have been “born in the wrong body”.

GOAL 3 Get fair representation in all government discussions on LGB issues – work in progress

The great news is that we have been invited to have a call with Kemi Badenoch, Minister for Equalities next week. We have several discussion points for her, including our request for all government departments and the EHRC to ensure the correct use of the words sex and gender.

We are working to achieve representation in every institution that is involved in decision-making about LGB issues: we have applied to alter the composition of the so-called “LGBT panel” at the GEO, which consists solely of people who believe in gender identity

GOAL 4 Highlight the dangers of medicalising “gender non-conforming” children – work in progress

Following the 18 June exposé of the culture of “transing away the gay” at the Tavistock GIDS Gender Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTRnrp9pXHY

LGB Alliance has written to Nadine Dorries, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mental Health and Inequalities). We are asking for a full inquiry into what is happening under the current leadership of the Tavistock GIDS.

In addition, we are working with some former GIDS mental health clinicians and other professionals to draw up a recommendation for a new NHS funded service for detransitioners.

There are many other areas on which to update you but that’s it for now. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all for your support – you give us the energy to keep going. Follow us on @AllianceLGB for all the breaking news.

We hope you all have a safe and healthy summer.

Best wishes from Kate Harris and Bev Jackson and the entire team at LGB Alliance

[I AM NOT ASSOCIATED WITH OR REPRESENTING THE LGB ALLIANCE]