6 BritainApril 2 2023 |
6 BritainApril 2 2023 | World and PressWill U.K. rejection of Scottish gender billbolster independence movement?SCOTLAND The intervention from London angeredScottish politicians, but it’s not clear that backers of independencecan use the issue to their advantage.By Stephen CastleScotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announces herresignation on Feb. 15, 2023, weeks after criticizing UK rejection ofScotland’s gender bill. | Photo: Jane Barlow/Empics/PictureAlliance1 WHEN SCOTLANDunitedwith England and the ScottishParliament closed its doors in1707, it did not reopen until almostthree centuries later, afterpressure for more Scottish autonomyresulted in a deal in 1998 toshare power between London andEdinburgh. Twenty-five years on,that agreement, known as devolution,faces its stiffest challengeyet.2 Last week, for the first time,the British government overruledScotland’s Parliament, scuttlingits plan to make it easier forScots to change their gender. Thedecision not only threatens to becomea full-blown constitutionalcrisis over transgender rights. Italso prompted angry claims byScottish politicians that Londonwas thwarting the will of theirParliament, potentially handingpro-independence forces a potentweapon to galvanize the movement.3 Scotland’s first minister, NicolaSturgeon, leader of the ScottishNational Party and a champion ofindependence, described London’smove as “a full-frontal attackon our democratically electedScottish Parliament and itsability to make its own decisions.”And Stephen Flynn, leader of theScottish National Party’s lawmakersin the British Parliament, saidit portends a slippery slope toward“direct rule” from London.4 Yet some analysts say that it isnot at all clear that a dispute overtransgender rights will bolstersupport for Scotland’s independence.“In the short turn, it’s notthe silver bullet for independence,”said John Curtice, professorof politics at Strathclyde University,“though I certainly don’tthink it’s likely that this is goingto reduce support.”5 Curtice added, “Leaving asidethe very fractious debate betweenthe activists on both sides,amongst the general public, it’snot a subject on which peoplecare a great deal.” The politicalfallout is unpredictable, he said,because there is limited publicsupport for the transgender policyat the heart of the rift, withsome polls showing a majority ofScots opposing the key proposedchanges.6 The legislation approved lastmonth by the Scottish Parliamentwould allow transgender peopleto have the gender with whichthey identify legally recognizedand to get a new birth certificatewithout a medical diagnosis. Itwould apply to people 16 andolder who make a legally bindingdeclaration that they are alreadyliving in their “acquired gender,”according to the measure, and intendto do so permanently.7 British Prime Minister RishiSunak used a statute that dates to1998, when the modern-day ScottishParliament was established,to block the legislation, arguingthat it was in conflict with equalitylaws that apply across Britain– not just Scotland. While Parliamentin Edinburgh has powersover gender recognition laws,some equality legislation falls underthe remit of the British Parliamentin Westminster.8 Tension between London andEdinburgh is hardly new. Brexitinjected an extra layer into therelationship, straining a conventionunder which the Britishgovernment will not normallylegislate on matters that arecontrolled by the Scottish Parliamentunder the 1998 devolutionagreement. Since Britons votedto leave the European Union (amajority of Scots who voted optedto remain), relations betweenSturgeon and British leaders haveoscillated between chilly and glacial.9 Never popular among Scots,Prime Minister Boris Johnson,the main architect of Brexit,made only rare public appearancesin Scotland, where hispresence invariably attracted athrong of noisy protesters. LizTruss, who succeeded him briefly,said her strategy was to “ignore”Sturgeon, dismissing her as an“attention seeker.”10 Sunak appeared to be on asmoother path when he recentlyhad dinner with Sturgeon at ahotel in Inverness, Scotland – hissecond meeting with her sincehe came to power – and posteda photo on social media showingthem smiling and shaking hands.Yet, within days, Sturgeon haddenounced Sunak’s approachon the transgender issue as “unconscionable,indefensible, andreally quite disgraceful.” She accusedhim of “using trans people,already one of the most vulnerablestigmatized groups in oursociety, as a political weapon.” …11 “This has been a very difficultpiece of legislation for the Scottishgovernment,” said NicolaMcEwen, professor of territorialpolitics at the University of Edinburgh.“It has created an awful lotof tension, often within their ownranks; it has created very heatedand often-toxic debates, so I don’tthink it was entered into lightly.”She added, “I think the first ministeris committed to the policy,and lots of other governmentsaround the world have been lookingat similar legislation, so it’snot unique to Scotland.”12 Similarly, critics say that Sunakis deliberately engaging inculture wars, calculating thatblocking the legislation wouldplease right-wing supporters.But Sunak has, in fact, dialeddown his predecessors’ rhetoricon identity and culture issues. …13 If the rift over transgenderrights ends up undermining theauthority and credibility of Scotland’sParliament, underscoringits subordination to Westminster,that could deal a blow to thosewho want to stick with the statusquo rather than take the furtherstep to independence.14 Curtice said that he couldsee little to damage the proindependenceforces from thedispute but that a clash over thepowers of the Scottish Parliamentwas peripheral to the wider independencedebate. “At the end ofthe day, the crucial question iswhether or not the Scottish NationalParty can persuade peoplethat an independent Scotlandinside the European Union is abetter place than being inside theU.K. and outside the EU,” Curticeadded. “Arguments about processare not really the nub of theissue.”© 2023 The New York Times CompanyThis article originally appearedin The New York Times.GlossarNeu!The political systemof the UKLerne wichtige Vokabeln zumThema Politisches Systemin Großbritannien.Damit du das Englischabitursicher in der Tasche hast!PDF Download je nur¤ 2,50B2–C2The politicalsystem of the UKglossarywww.sprachzeitungen.de0 – 1 REJECTION Ablehnung — bill Gesetzentwurf — to bolsterstärken — backer Befürworter(in) — devolution Übertragungvon parlamentarischer Gewalt — stiff schwer2 to overrule überstimmen — to scuttle zunichtemachen —full-blown (fig) ausgewachsen — constitutional crisis Verfassungskrise— to prompt provozieren — to thwart vereiteln; h.:unterlaufen — to galvanize mobilisieren3 – 4 champion Verfechter(in) — full-frontal attack Frontalangriff— lawmaker Abgeordnete(r) — to portend ein Vorbotesein für — slippery slope (fig) gefährlicher und unumkehrbarerWeg — in the short turn kurzfristig — silver bullet (fig)Wunder waffe5 – 7 fractious gereizt — general public breite Öffentlichkeit— fallout Auswirkungen — rift Streit — poll Umfrage — legislationGesetzentwurf; Gesetz(gebung); s.w.u. to legislate Gesetzeerlassen — birth certificate Geburtsurkunde — legally bindingrechtsverbindlich — statute Gesetz — power Befugnis — recognitionAnerkennung — remit Zuständigkeitsbereich8 tension Spannungen — to inject (fig) hineinbringen — tostrain belasten; h.: brechen — to opt to do s. entscheiden zu tun— to oscillate schwanken — chilly kühl — glacial eisig9 – 10 invariably stets — throng Schar — to succeed s.o. jds.Nachfolge antreten — to dismiss abtun — to denounce verurteilen— unconscionable gewissenlos — indefensible unhaltbar— disgraceful beschämend — vulnerable verletzlich11 – 12 territorial politics Territorialpolitik — ranks Reihen— heated hitzig — lightly leichtfertig — to be committed to;s.w.u. to stick with festhalten an — right-wing ... ... des rechtenFlügels — to dial down mäßigen — predecessor Vorgänger(in)13 – 14 to undermine untergraben — credibility Glaubwürdigkeit— to underscore unterstreichen — subordination Unterordnung— to deal a blow to s.o. (fig) jdm. e-n Schlag versetzen— clash Konflikt — peripheral nebensächlich — the nub of theissue (fig) der springende Punkt• Die Sprachzeitung •
World and Press | April 2 2023Britain7By Sean O’Neill1 NO ONE knows how wesettled on the Troubles as thelabel for the conflict in NorthernIreland between 1969 and 1998.It is a pathetically inadequate euphemismfor a civil war in which3,500 people died and some40,000 were maimed. Shoppingstreets were bombed, busy pubssprayed with gunfire, milkmenand postmen ambushed on theirrounds, and those who fell foulof paramilitary godfathers “disappeared”– abducted, tortured,killed, and their bodies buried inunmarked graves.2 Three decades of violencecame to a stuttering end 25 yearsago with the Good Friday Agreement,but the Troubles markedall of us who grew up in that era,commentTruth of the Troublesnow trumps justiceNORTHERN IRELANDAn amnesty bill for IRA killers is wrenching for bereaved familiesbut might allow Northern Ireland to make its peace.A man walks past an IRA mural in Derry, Northern Ireland. | Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Imagespermanently scarring memoriesand mindsets. Today, NorthernIreland remains an uneasyplace, its sectarian divisionscemented by segregated schoolingand housing. A paramilitaryrump lurks, but the conflict hasmoved to other battlegrounds:language, culture, Brexit, andstagnant local politics.3 The old tensions remain inpart because the Good Fridaycompromise did not create amechanism for dealing with“legacy issues”. Paramilitaryprisoners were set free andterrorist arsenals destroyed,but there was no formula forhow to resolve more than 1,000unsolved killings. Since 1998,several initiatives have triedto address the poisoned past:reports by respected cross-communityfigures, historic inquiryunits, political negotiations.None has been successful.4 The latest initiative is theNorthern Ireland Troubles(Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill,awaiting committee stage in theLords. The bill has been spurredby the campaign to end so-calledvexatious prosecutions of formerservicemen, such as the soldierDennis Hutchings, who died,aged 80, while on trial for theshooting of an unarmed man in1974.5 If passed, the bill would endTroubles-related investigations,prosecutions, inquests, andcivil actions. Some cases alreadyin the court system would behalted. Instead, it would createan “information recovery” commissionunder which killers whogive a true account of their actionscould earn immunity fromprosecution. The nearest comparisonis South Africa’s Truthand Reconciliation Commission,set up at the end of apartheid in1996 and generally felt to havebeen effective.6 By any measure, this bill isextraordinary. A whole class ofhorrific crimes would be placed,by law, beyond the reach of thecriminal justice system. It wouldbe unimaginable anywhere elsein the UK, but criminal justice inNorthern Ireland has always runon different, often questionablelines: internment without trial,early release of terrorist prisoners,“comfort letters” for IRAmembers, and no-jury courts forsecurity trials.7 Nevertheless, we should beclear about what it could mean.Should new evidence, perhapsa microscopic fragment of DNA,emerge linking a former IRAman to the 1987 RemembranceDay bombing in Enniskillen,there will be no charges. GerryAdams, the former Sinn Féinpresident who was questionedfor several days in 2014 about theIRA kidnap and murder of theBelfast mother Jean McConville,will never stand trial in connectionwith her death, no matterwhat evidence might emerge.Neither will the suspect arrestedin connection with the deathsof 21 people in the 1974 Birminghampub bombings.8 The bill would also fatallyundermine the investigationsof Operation Kenova into theactivities of Freddie Scappaticci,aka Stakeknife, Britain’s mostimportant double agent insidethe IRA. Scappaticci led theIRA’s internal security unit, “thenutting squad”, which kidnapped,tortured, and murderedsuspected informants. Prosecutorshave received 33 files on thecase.9 I cannot help but wonder if,after years of failing to tacklethe legacy problem, the realenergy behind this bill is thedesire of the shadowy guardiansof “national security” to ensurethat the Stakeknife story is neveraired in a court of law.10 There is overwhelming oppositionto the bill from across thecommunity divide in the province.Critics say it extinguishesall hope of justice for thousandsof people for whom the anguishof violent loss remains tangible.Yet the cold, hard reality is thatin most unsolved cases, thosehopes are already slender to thepoint of being non-existent.11 The police do not have theresources to investigate the past.There is little evidence in manyunsolved cases because terroristgroups did not keep records, andtheir weapons (and thereforeballistic traces) were destroyed.The court system is alreadyfacing a huge backlog; 13 legacyinquests involving at least 26deaths (mainly at the hands ofsecurity forces) are due to openthis year, and another 19 caseshave yet to be listed. Meanwhile,the suspected perpetrators growolder. Many have already died.12 With the chances of traditionaljustice fading, it is with aheavy and conflicted heart thatI find myself agreeing it is timeto find a radical alternative. Itwould be unnecessarily cruel,however, to halt inquests or casesalready under way. Active proceedingsshould be expedited totheir conclusion, and the Kenovainvestigations are too importantto be hidden. The Stakeknife filescontain evidence of brutal IRAcrimes – but also evidence aboutthe extent to which securityagencies knew about or evenfacilitated those crimes. Thosecases must run their coursebecause it is essential that ademocratic state holds itself to ahigher standard – and is seen todo so.13 For all other cases, it is timeto swallow the bitter pill: theprospect of meaningful justiceis receding fast. The task of findingthe truth, the primary taskof the proposed commission,is therefore more urgent. Andperhaps one day, when the workof truth-telling is done, the farmore difficult task of reconciliationcan begin.© The Times, London/News LicensingThis article originally appearedin The Times, London.0 THE TROUBLESNordirlandkonflikt — to trump übertrumpfen— bill Gesetzentwurf — wrenching schmerzlich —bereaved hinterblieben1 to settle on s. einigen auf — pathetically erbärmlich —inadequate unzureichend — to maim verstümmeln — to spraywith gunfire beschießen — to ambush aus dem Hinterhalt überfallen— to fall foul of s.o. (fig) mit jdm. in Konflikt geraten — toabduct entführen — to torture foltern — unmarked grave anonymesGrab2 stuttering holprig — Good Friday Agreement Karfreitagsabkommen— to mark prägen — sectarian division Spaltungzwischen religiösen Gruppen — segregated getrennt —rump Rest — to lurk lauern — battleground (fig) Schlachtfeld— stagnant festgefahren3 legacy issues Altlasten — formula Konzept — to resolveaufklären — to address aufarbeiten — historic inquiry unit Polizeieinheitzur Aufklärung ungelöster Mordfälle4 – 5 reconciliation Versöhnung — committee stage Phase derBeratung in den Ausschüssen — to spur vorantreiben — vexatiousprosecution schikanöses Strafverfahren (p. Strafverfolgung);s.w.u. prosecutor Staatsanwalt(-anwältin) — servicemanMilitärangehöriger — inquest Untersuchung; s.w.u. legacyinquest h.: Untersuchung e-s mit dem Nordirlandkonflikt zus.hängenden Todesfalls — civil action Zivilprozess — informationrecovery Wiedererlangung von Informationen6 by any measure in jeder Hinsicht — a class of e-e Reihevon — horrific schrecklich — criminal justice system Strafjustizsystem— to run on questionable lines nach fragwürdigenMethoden ablaufen — internment without trial Inhaftierungohne Gerichtsverfahren — comfort letter Patronatserklärung —no-jury court Gericht ohne Geschworene7 – 9 Remembrance Day Gedenktag zu Ehren gefallener Soldatendes UK und Commonwealth — charge Anklage — to standtrial vor Gericht stehen — nutting squad vgl. to nut (coll) e-nKopfstoß geben; h.: durch e-n Kopfschuss töten — to tackle bewältigen— shadowy zwielichtig — to air öffentlich machen10 – 11 from across the community divide aus beiden Lagern —to extinguish zunichtemachen — anguish Schmerz — tangiblespürbar — slender gering — backlog Rückstand — at the handsof (fig) durch — to list erfassen — perpetrator Täter(in)12 – 13 with a conflicted heart (fig) mit widersprüchlichen Gefühlen— under way angelaufen — active proceeding laufendesVerfahren — to expedite s.th. to its conclusion etw. zügig zuEnde führen — security agency Sicherheitsbehörde — to facilitateunterstützen — to recede schwinden
