Jimmy's Hall
Update 453. Young Homophobes Special. #BeMorePorcupine
Next up in the Irish Heroes season is Ken Loach’s 2014 drama, Jimmy’s Hall. I am opposed to Communism but I think that Jimmy Gralton, albeit he was a Communist, can be counted as a hero.
In 1932, after ten years of living in the United States, Jimmy Gralton returns to his home in native Ireland to help his mother run the family farm.
A new government is in power ten years after the end of the Irish Civil War, an act which leads to Jimmy re-establishing a community centre for young people to dance, study or talk, drawing on his experience with jazz music during his time in the US. The hall becomes popular, which arouses opposition in the town, particularly the Church in the form of Father Sheridan, who denounces the music and dancing at the hall as lewd and licentious.
Jimmy and his mother, with whom he is living and who is also sympathetic to Communism, attempt to prevent an eviction of a family who are displaced from their home. Jimmy's activism brings him to the attention of the Gardaí. This starts a chain of events which ends in Jimmy's deportation from Ireland for sedition. As he holds an American passport, he is exiled back to the States. During a rally protesting his expulsion, Jimmy's mother decries the lack of a fair trial. Gralton was the first and only Irish person in history to ever be deported from Ireland.
Thanks to three wonderful readers for suggested pieces.
LGB Alliance Conference Disrupted
It seems that the young homophobes ( obviously I am using that phrase to encompass discrimination and prejudice against all LGB people) who released thousands of crickets at the LGB Alliance conference are the same youngsters who were protesting on the streets in the summer and it seems that the larping man behind this may be notorious trans activist, Alan ‘Sarah Jane’ Baker. If that is the case he is out on life licence and should be returned where he belongs - behind bars.
Albert Tait in The Telegraph ( Suspected trans protesters release crickets to disrupt gay rights conference 11 October) reports:
Four suspected trans rights protesters attacked a gender-critical conference by releasing hundreds of live crickets into a packed auditorium.
The stunt on Friday afternoon threw the annual LGB Alliance conference into chaos as a room of about 600 people had to be evacuated.
The protesters, who had been sitting in the crowd, dropped plastic sacks filled with the insects as one of the final talks of the day was about to start.
Screams and cries broke out from the audience. Some people climbed onto chairs and others ran out of the auditorium at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster.
Rhona Hotchkiss, the compere of the event, encouraged people to stamp on the crickets.
Security guards quickly entered the room and the audience was told to leave. Four protesters were detained by security and police were called to the building.
A Met Police spokesman said: “Police were called at 16:24hrs on Friday, 11 October to a report of a protest at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Broad Sanctuary.
“Four protesters were reported to have released a number of insects inside the venue. They were detained by security and escorted from the premises by appropriate adults.
“Police have their details and an investigation into the circumstances remains ongoing. There was no arrest.”
LGB Alliance, which was set up in 2019, promotes the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people who disagree with Stonewall’s stance on transgender issues.
The protest took place at the beginning of a talk by Jamie Reed, a whistleblower who reported the medical treatment of minors at a US gender clinic.
Kate Barker, LGB Alliance’s chief executive, spoke to The Telegraph a few minutes after the protest. At one point during the conversation, she stepped away to stamp on a cricket.
She said: “They (the protesters) are trying to squash reasoned debate with silly tactics.
“I also feel sorry for those crickets that got squished. We’ve got a lot of vegans and vegetarians who are very unhappy about that.
“All it does is delay us by 15 minutes while they are hoovered up and will cut one of our sessions a bit short.
“I didn’t see them do it, but I saw a couple of very young looking, quite agitated people – around 16 or 17 – run out.
“It was a session about a whistleblower – it was really interesting and very topical – so I don’t know if they picked that one in particular.”
The final two speeches of the event were cancelled following the protest.
A spokesman for LGB Alliance said: “This afternoon, saboteurs attempted to disrupt the LGB Alliance annual conference by releasing live crickets into the main hall of QEII Centre, Westminster.
“The conference continued, although some planned sessions were cancelled while the venue’s staff dealt with the incident.
“Police were immediately informed and at least one of the saboteurs was apprehended. No further details on the perpetrators are available at this time.”
The full article is here:
Let Women Speak in Morpeth
I haven’t managed to watch this yet ( I was out this afternoon) but I’m sure it was great.
Woke Home Office Wasting Time and Money
Regular readers will be aware that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is used to embed gender ideology ( and other ideologies) into organisations, government departments, schools etc.
Richard Jeffries in GB News ( Woke Home Office spending equivalent of NINETEEN staff members a year on inclusivity and diversity 12 October) reports:
The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper © GB News
Home Office officials have found themselves the centre of fresh backlash after it was revealed time spent by staff on diversity and inclusion schemes was the equivalent to 19 full-time employees each year.
The department is facing demands to ban "network groups" from operating within working hours.
The call for action came after it was revealed that "network chairs" who head individual diversity and inclusion groups are dedicating as much as 50 per cent of their working hours towards the voluntary role rather than on their paid responsibilities.
Other Whitehall departments have strict caps in place which prevent those involved in the networks from spending more than 10 per cent of their time on the groups[ Dusty - personally I would go for 0% of their time!].
The full article is here:
Nottingham University - Off With The Woo!
Richard Jeffries in GB News ( Woke university puts trigger warning on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales because of 'expressions of Christian faith' 13 October) reports:
Woke university puts trigger warning on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales because of 'expressions of Christian faith'© GB News
Nottingham University has sparked outrage after issuing a trigger warning for Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales over "expressions of Christian faith".
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from academics who view it as an overreaction and a misunderstanding of the work's historical context.
The warning for the module called 'Chaucer and His Contemporaries' also alerts students to instances of violence and mental illness in the works of Chaucer and other medieval writers.
Critics argue that the approach demeans education and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the Christian-centric medieval worldview.
The Canterbury Tales, written between 1387 and 1400, is a collection of stories told by pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury Cathedral.
Its characters, including the promiscuous Wife of Bath and the drunken miller, are deeply rooted in the Christian medieval world.
While The Canterbury Tales contains explicit themes of rape, lust, and antisemitism, the university's warning makes no mention of these elements.
The full article is here:
Sheffield DJ Cancelled
This is the first in my new series of Shorts designed for those readers who don’t have time right now for the long update ( hope you get to read it in due course) but can check this out now. So you will find this in a separate post headed ‘In Praise of Winston Hazel and Roisin Murphy.’ Let me know if you think this is useful.
Scottish Authorities Ignore Cass
Women’s Rights Network in their latest newsletter (13 October) report:
Scottish Authorities’ Safeguarding Fail
WRNScotland and ScotPAG (Scottish Professionals Advising on Gender) researched Scottish authorities' response to the Cass Report and their report shows that not a single council had changed policies in order to conform with Cass’ recommendations, which were adopted in July 2024.
Marion Scott covered the findings in the Sunday Post, highlighting that Scottish Councils @COSLA, the Care Inspectorate @SCSWIS and @scotgov continue to ignore the evidence base in the #CassReview and the harm they are causing Scottish children.
The article says, “Former Scottish Government advisor and educational psychologist, Carolyn Brown, said: ‘The Scottish Government spectacularly failed our most vulnerable children, and their families, causing terrible harm in the process because they only listened to Trans lobby groups and activists while embedding policy and guidance in schools and care establishments.
‘They must take responsibility by ensuring these harmful policies are removed from all our public services and are replaced with the holistic care advocated in the Cass Review.’”
More Woo Woo From Ireland
EDI Jester picks up on yet another great report from Gript News about the latest Woo Woo appointment by the Irish Government:
Ireland - Enoch Burke Returned To Jail Again
I admire Enoch’s determination but clearly he is appearing in person because the lawyers are telling him that you cannot just ignore an injunction with impunity. In any event, clearly , at least at this stage in the process of appeal, the school are not going to let him teach so turning up there does not serve a lot of purpose. However, I think, of course, he is absolutely right in stating that he should not have to accept the make believe world that says a child can ‘transition’ to the opposite sex. Nobody in a school, teachers or pupils, should have to accept this.
I also note that Justice Nolan (I may return to this judge on another occasion!) stated that students have the right to ‘transition’ - can you let us know where that is contained in Irish law, judge?
The Irish Times ( Judge returns Enoch Burke to jail ‘with great reluctance’ 11 October) reports:
Teacher Enoch Burke was sent back to jail by the High Court after again refusing to abide by an order that he stop attending at the school he has been sacked from.
Mr Burke, who claims he is in jail for being against transgenderism according to his Christian religious beliefs that there is only the male and female sex, appeared before Mr Justice David Nolan on Friday.
Mr Burke has been in prison for more than 400 days over failing to obey an injunction directing him to stay away from Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath.
He was released in late June, without promising not to break the injunction, when the school summer holidays had begun.
But Rosemary Mallon BL, for the school, said in late August he started attending again on a number of days when he got into the school grounds and on one occasion managed to get into the building and a transition year staff meeting.
He was returned to prison in September by Mr Justice Michael Quinn after he again refused to abide by the injunction.
On Friday, Mr Justice Nolan told Mr Burke repeatedly that he wanted him to answer his question as to whether he would now abide by the order.
Mr Burke however insisted on telling the judge that he should read the report which precipitated his ultimate sacking and which was prepared by then-school principal Niamh McShane.
He was fired in January 2023 but he has appealed the dismissal and remains on full pay pending the hearing of the appeal.
Reading from Ms McShane’s report, Mr Burke said it stated there were “concerns around Mr Burke’s public statements of his refusal to accept transgenderism”.
It also stated: “This has implications not only for the particular student but other students who may wish to transition in the future and indeed the entire student population”.
When Mr Justice Nolan suggested it was “their right if they wished”, Mr Burke said “this woman (Ms McShane) was saying that the fact that my having a religious belief was an obstacle in the school.
“She wanted other students to be able to go down the road of puberty blockers, of mutilation, of cross dressing, of being told they might be in the wrong body and I said I cannot become an activist for transgenderism. Now wasn’t that my right if I wished”.
The judge then said he was asking again if he would abide by the court order prohibiting him from attending Wilsons Hospital. “I would like you to say yes so I can let you out of jail.”
Mr Burke continued reading from the report in which Ms McShane said she had “serious concerns about how Mr Burke may act in the school in future in circumstances where he has stated his personal views on transgenderism”.
Mr Burke told the judge “you know that is illegal” and that the judges “were not dealing with the report”.
He also said it had come out in the last few weeks that “teachers had been forced to attend training to teach and put the most degrading material in front of children”.
He continued speaking as the judge repeatedly asked would he abide by the order so that he could be released.
“Why are you not listening to me, you are a highly intelligent man”, the judge said also asking “are you being controlled by somebody else”.
At that point, Mr Burke’s mother Martina shouted at the judge “Are you being controlled by somebody else” and then said “yes you are”.
The judge then rose from the bench but returned less than a minute later and warned he would have the person interrupting him removed from the courtroom by gardaí, who were in attendance, if it happened again.
He again asked Mr Burke if he would abide and Mr Burke replied: “You are afraid of the report aren’t you” before going on to say he (the judge) was being controlled and that he was a “political actor upholding a political decision made by a political court to cover up the agenda of the Government and the agenda of the principal of my school to force teachers to accept transgenderism without a shred of legal authority”.
The judge repeatedly asked him would he abide by the order before saying: “I have now asked you on ten occasions will you abide by the court order and it is clear to me you have no intention of abiding by the order.
“In those circumstances, with great reluctance, I have to send you back to jail”.
He put the matter in for mention again on December 20th. He also awarded costs against Mr Burke in favour of the school.
The State versus The Parent
You may feel a bit cautious about a discussion between two Republican men about family law and custody of children. However this is actually a fascinating and very useful and informative piece. And I mean useful to all those Mums and Dads in the States who do not want their children to ‘transition.’
Nick Freitas is a Republican politician from Virginia who runs a podcast called Making The Argument. Jeff Younger is a Dad whose wife started trying to transition their son when the boy was 3 years old (!). The marriage, not surprisingly, broke down and, since then, Mr Younger has been trying to prevent his son being given ‘gender affirming care’. At one stage, when he was taking his son to school dressed in boy’s clothes, he found out much later that, once he had left, the school provided the son with a dress to wear!!
It appears that the family law courts in the States are a law unto themselves! Most amazingly, the Republican state of Texas where they then lived, ultimately put a gagging order on Mr Younger and allowed his wife to move their son to ‘off with the gender woo’ California! He is now trying one more legal attempt to stop his son (who is now 12) being put on puberty blockers and sent down the road to genital surgery.
Mr Younger says that a lot of the ordinary folks in Texas would probably get their guns out if their kids were in danger. So how did a Republican state allow this to happen? Well, the main Republican donor is one Paul Singer who set up the Human Rights Council which advocates for gender affirming care. There is also backing from the Black Rock Corporation. So parents are not even safe if they are in Republican states! Chilling stuff!!
Comments on this from readers in the States would be very welcome.
Australia - New South Wales Equality Bill
Thanks as ever to Feminist Legal Clinic.
Equality bill loses gay teacher, student protection in bid to win over opponents (13 October)
The NSW cabinet will on Monday consider a scaled-back equality bill after Sydney MP Alex Greenwich agreed to remove key sticking points widely opposed by church groups.
However, allowing transgender people to change their birth certificates without undergoing reaffirming surgery and parentage orders for families who have had children through overseas commercial surrogacy will remain central to the bill.
The new version of Greenwich’s bill is still likely to cause bitter division, particularly in the Liberal Party, which will be forced to form a position on it ahead of three byelections next Saturday.
[Ed: Readers, now is the time to urgently contact your local MPs voicing your objections to this Bill.]
Dusty - Alex Greenwich needs to be in the dock!
Source: Equality bill loses gay teacher, student protection in bid to win over opponents
Endpiece by Liz
We’ve dealt with men lending support in this issue so this is rather apt from Liz.
#BeMorePorcupine
#LetWomenSpeak
#GrassrootsArmy
#MenStandUpFor Women
Dear readers
This post and 'In Praise of Winston Hazel' are proving a bit sluggish in terms of viewing figures so, if you enjoyed them, please spread them around if you can. Thanks.
Next update and 'short' tonight 😃
Dusty
Thanks Dusty, a great round up as ever.
I thought that the ‘Republican’ podcast was really interesting, particularly as it goes into the law in detail. As you say, useful for people living in the States.
Poor crickets. I hope the real perpetrators are caught. Andrew Doyle did a piece on FS Nation.
Great endpiece.
#BeMorePorcupine