The Proclaimers defend JK Rowling on women's rights: Scottish band hit out at 'f***ing bairns' who 'she made a fortune for' with Harry Potter
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By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
The Proclaimers have called trans activists 'truth-phobic' and say they no longer support the SNP over Nicola Sturgeon's policies on self-ID.
The Scottish band, who have been lifelong liberals, say they don't care if their views now align with the political right and claimed the left is 'losing their collective mind'.
Twins Craig and Charlie Reid, 64, who are behind hits including I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Sunshine on Leith, had been longstanding supporters of the SNP and backed Scottish independence.
But they say that in this year's Holyrood elections, they could not vote for the party, accusing its leadership of doing 'real damage to the cause'.
Craig blamed Ms Sturgeon's 2022 Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill that would have made it more straightforward for people to legally change their gender.
The legislation, supported by Scottish Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens, was ultimately blocked by the Conservative government.
He claimed it was Ms Sturgeon's support for gender self-ID that he said led to 'violent men, including convicted rapists, being sent to women's prisons'.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said the policy was 'unforgivable' and added that gender critical women are 'shouted down' by people who 'are male and who think that because they put on a dress, and they put on make-up, that that makes them female'.
Twins Craig and Charlie Reid, 64, who are behind hits including I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Sunshine on Leith, had been long-standing supporters of the SNP and backed Scottish independence
But they said Nicola Sturgeon's policies on gender self-ID were behind their move away from the party
Meanwhile Charlie pointed to figures with highly controversial views on the transgender community such as Graham Linehan and JK Rowling and claimed those who campaign for more rights for the trans population are 'truth-phobic'.
Yet he also denied being transphobic, continuing: 'I'm not against a man identifying as a woman, dressing as a woman... All I'm against is saying that he actually is a woman when he's not a woman.'
Elsewhere, their views were more in line with their liberal identities. The pair railed against the 'moron' Donald Trump, the 'ignoring of international law' and even said that children are 'being groomed' into joining the military by organisations such as army cadets.
Their worldview has inspired their 13th album You May Offend, which is scheduled to be released tomorrow.
It includes a new take on the 1971 anthem Imagine, by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
The brothers' version But It Is is steeped in anti-war lyrics: 'We say that's not who we are, but it is / When did we decide to aid a genocide? / Causing hunger, following warmongers to the deepest pits of hell.'
And in reference to the album's point of view, the title track features the words: 'Just by giving out the thoughts in your head, you may reach a point where some will wish you dead.'
Other titles include The Grooming, voicing views on how children are conditioned into the military from puberty, along with tracks arguing for the right to voice controversial views such as the gender debate.
It is this issue the brothers seem particularly set on – despite Ms Sturgeon no longer being the leader of the SNP.
Although John Swinney has now taken the helm, there is little sign the brothers plan to return to the party any time soon.
The nationalist party has suffered a series of blows in recent years, most notably the embezzlement scandal which brought down Ms Sturgeon's estranged husband Peter Murrell – they are currently in the process of getting divorced.
Former SNP chief executive Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months in jail in June after stealing more than £400,000 from the party's finances.
Ms Sturgeon has not been found to have committed any wrongdoing, and resigned from her role as leader less than two months before he was arrested in 2023.
It was announced this week that Westminster will hold an inquiry into the embezzlement scandal.
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