Another bombshell for Frau Merkel ?

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Originally Posted by OrphanPip

If we don't trust the government to effectively enforce laws why would we pass legislation of any kind? The idea that the problem can be reduced to the fact that it annoys Clopin and a psychology professor (not to negate their experiences) is what is naive. Whose life is more affected by this legislation? This legislation will protect trans people from employment discrimination in federal services and standardize the treatment of trans people by federal regulated sectors like banking or immigration. On one hand, the legislation will provide tangible protections and help to a group of people who, I feel, deserve that help. On the other hand, the opposition is annoyed at an impossible scenario that will never happen. When I weigh the two sides in simple utilitarian terms, the bill does far more good than any imagined harm.

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What I am saying is, don't bully the chained dog. Trans people need to get the non-trans people on their side if they want that law to be enforced or to last and that would mean in this case to make explicit, since the issue has been raised, that there is no threat to freedom of speech by any interpretation of this legislation. Address the issues raised by that psychologist who is apparently getting a lot of publicity. Make sure it is clear to him and those who support him that their freedoms are explicitly protected. I don't see why that should be hard to do unless there is more going on in this legislation than protecting the freedoms of trans people.

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Originally Posted by OrphanPip

Also, Canadian law already provides ample grounds for provincial governments to oppose the charter change if they see fit. Provinces can enact the not-withstanding clause to ignore the federal charter of rights for legislation as long as they keep voting on the act in 5 year intervals. Quebec does this with Bill 101, the protection of the french language law, with respect to the regulation of schools which states the language of education in Quebec is restricted to French for immigrants. The only people who could be educated in an English public school in my home province were members of the "historic minority" of anglos like my family, this was later amended to allow the children of parents educated in English elsewhere in Canada as well. This is unconstitutional but the Quebec government votes regularly to maintain the act.

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I think what you are saying here is that the provincial governments can overrule the federal government. Then the law protecting trans people will need to be defended at the provincial level. It might as well stay at the provincial level.

Also Clopin talked about "anti-male sexism". This needs to be addressed. I think it has been established over the past 40 years that homosexuality is more biology than culture. Being homosexual is not a "sin" nor is it something that "social construction" is going to modify. If that is true for homosexuals, it is also true for heterosexuals as well as the pair-bonding nature of our species. Continuing with old metaphors, such as, "homophobia", "sexual preference" or "patriarchy", can be viewed as "sexist" based on that same brain scan research. There is no "fear" of a heterosexual "turning" homosexual that underlies the old 1960s concept of "homophobia". There is no cultural "preference" or choice over a particular gender of sex partner. Male pair-bonding behavior is not "patriarchy".

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On the other hand, the opposition is annoyed at an impossible scenario that will never happen.

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Are you just nuts or something? What impossible scenario will never happen? If you look at freedom of expression on a scale from the U.S to Europe you can see that fears over regulation of what can, can not, or must be said are thoroughly grounded in reality and very possible situations. Again, people are spending time in prison for their use of twitter. What do you mean 'impossible scenario'?

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Originally Posted by Clopin

Are you just nuts or something? What impossible scenario will never happen? If you look at freedom of expression on a scale from the U.S to Europe you can see that fears over regulation of what can, can not, or must be said are thoroughly grounded in reality and very possible situations. Again, people are spending time in prison for their use of twitter. What do you mean 'impossible scenario'?

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Innuendo and vagueries.

In what way does this bill effect speech. I would like you to outline with reference to it how this fear is justified. The bill literally changes nothing about the application of existing human rights law in Canada. The bill makes one change to the charter, it adds gender identity as a recognized minority group in the antidiscrimination clause. And this is ignoring the fact that Ontario already recognizes gender identity at the provincial levels.

Speech about trans people is not addressed in this act in any way. This is an act that regulates the operation of federal institutions.

Poor old Angela, just as she began drinking a celebratory glass of Niersteiner Gutes Domtal over Norbert Hofer's defeat in the Austrian presidential election, the Italian president fell in a referendum; leaving the way open for Italy's anti EU 5 star movement.
One imagine's that the bibulous Jean Claude Junker will be consoling himself with something a little stronger, notwithstanding the five stars that indicate the quality on the cognac bottle.

I was just reading about that Italian referendum. I think Italy wants to go back to whatever its currency was prior to the euro, but I don't understand all the ramifications. What would happen to its euro-based debt?

Emil. You slay me man !!

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Originally Posted by YesNo

I was just reading about that Italian referendum. I think Italy wants to go back to whatever its currency was prior to the euro, but I don't understand all the ramifications. What would happen to its euro-based debt?

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Before Italy joined the Eurozone, the exchange rate against the £ sterling was in excess of L.2000. While this made tourists feel like millionaires' it also made one rather cautious about walking around Naples with a wallet full of banknotes.
As for Italy's the European debt, Mad Merkel is probably planning a dawn raid on the European Central Bank as her dream of German economic hegemony becomes increasingly less likely.

Based on what the markets did today it looks like the European Central Bank is going to be raided tomorrow so that Santa Claus can come early this year. I wonder where they get all that money? It is probably best that I don't understood economics.