The WEP, pushchairs, wheelchairs, buses and London cont'd

[JustBeyond]

MNHQ already said it is NBU to continue the thread after the OP had a strop and got it deleted...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2603249-to-invite-Londoners-to-help-the-Womens-Equality-Party?

[vindscreenviper]

I was busy reading that when it went poof, I thought it was being allowed to stand, what happened?

[Mellowautumn]

Considerable distress???? She really needs to get out of politics.

[vindscreenviper]

Did the OP come back onto the thread? There wasn't a lot of love for the WEP but I don't think anybody was making personal attacks on the OP were they? As I said, it was zapped before I had read the last few pages.

[JustBeyond]

Nope, OP didnt come back, but they messaged mnhq and "due to OPs email they felt they had a duty of care to delete the thread". I know how that reads to me, and i think others agreed before the thread went poof

[AuntieStella]

I don't remember any personal attacks on the OP.

It was squarely about pushchairs, not conflating them with wheelchairs, and wider opinions on the representativeness of the WEP.

[BiologicalCrayon]

Did OP return to give a definition of woman as requested, Beyond?

[Samcro]

shocked that mn hq caved

[JustBeyond]

Lmfao at bio. What do you think?
Doubt i'll get one now though. Do you think they think we're all gonna forget about that or are they just stupid ----

Anyway. I wrote a lovely elloquent and considered post about pushchairs and invisible disabilities before they threw out their toys and now i have lost it. Bugger.
Will rewrite it when i get out of the shower...

[TheCrimsonPleb]

Oh. I started reading that thread yesterday when there was only 13 posts on it. I was looking forward to catching up with it today because it seemed like such a half-baked idea and I wanted to weigh in - politely of course.

[ImNotThatGirl]

I automatically shut off when people attempt to compare pushchair users with wheelchair users. It pisses me off endlessly.

[BiologicalCrayon]

For reference, this is the stunt they were plugging:

www.womensequality.org.uk/the_longest_wait

And this is the guest post that has caused the bad will from some mumsnetters towards the WEP:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/guest_posts/2502963-Guest-post-Sandi-Toksvig-The-time-is-right-for-the-Womens-Equality-Party?pg=1

[vindscreenviper]

The WEP seem to be very good at getting on the wrong side of posters on here then flouncing off in a strop, they need to man up

[AuntieStella]

As the OP is in such a state that MNHQ believed they owed her a duty of care, then I hope that has extended to telling WEP about this.

Because either they are directing her to post, and need to know what has happened, so they can reassign the task to someone who is not in crisis; or they aren't and they need to consider telling her to desist.

[caroldecker]

The WEP press email is [email protected] if you would like to let them know your views on how they manage the media.

[Bubblesinthesummer]

No one was attacking the OP. Seems strange.

[AuntieStella]

Was that for me, caroldecker ?

Because if so, as I am not an MNHQer, and have not seen the email that led them to conclude they had a duty of care, I wouldn't have any useful information for WEP. But I hope very much that, having identified a duty of care, MNHQ include the organisation which lies behind the action of that thread's OP. So at least they get an opportunity to consider changes, even if they consider them only to reject making them.

[caroldecker]

AuntieStella No, not specifically for you, just for anyone who would like to understand their media strategy and why deleting a whole thread on here for no apparent reason is a winning way.

[AuntieStella]

Thanks - I wasn't sure, as it appeared immediately after mine (but that could have been chance) and I had probably come across more bossily than I meant.

BTW, another question from the previous thread was about how much it would cost to replace London's bus fleet and how they would find it. Did that one get answered?

[zeezeek]

I really can't see what there was in the previous thread that was so distressing to anyone - it was just a normal, robust debate about a political party. Somehow I can't see either David Cameron or Jeremy Corbyn becoming distressed about criticism on a forum. Hey ho.

Anyway, on the off chance that anyone from WEP is reading this and/or actually give a damn what women are saying, I will reiterate what I said on the previous thread.

Everyone apart from a few prehistoric twats believe that equality is good for everyone. However, what WEP is doing is really no different to what the main political parties are doing and that is pigeon-holing women as mummies and there are many reasons why that is wrong, including:

1. There's a significant and increasing number of women who are not, and never will be, mummies. Currently they have no one to champion them as the mainstream political parties are constantly falling over themselves in their bids to attract votes from the "hard working families"
   

1. Many women with children do not want to be defined just as a mother. I am my daughters' mother. I am not "a mother" - I am so much more than that and I want the recognition for all my achievements, you know, like men get.
   

1. By this stunt all WEP is doing is re-inforcing the belief that women are only interested in women's issues ie babies, childcare etc. Well, childcare is not a women's issue - it is a parents' issue and most women actually do have interests outside the family and care about serious issues such as Europe and the economy. We are not fluffy, silly little things that can't form a serious thought.
   

And, then there is a trans issues - which I will not get into as I feel that it has become a bigger issue than it should be and detracts from WEP's other deficiencies as a serious political voice. However, I will say that in order to stop the argument and the endless about about the trans issue they (WEP) need to actually answer some of the questions that have been asked relentlessly on this site and presumably others and, once and for all, provide clarity about how they define women.