Woman’s place UK conference

[Silencedwitness]

Is anyone else thinking or going?

womansplaceuk.org/conference-womens-liberation-2020/

[KatieAlcock]

I'm speaking on a panel apparently.

[Tootsweets23]

Ticket bought!

[OhHolyJesus]

I'm so excited to go to this!

[Cuntysnark]

I have a ticket

[Ibloodylovewomen]

Just booking 😃

[refusetobeasheep]

Bought ticket

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

How do you buy Ricky? I can't see a link. Thanks

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

Tickets! Not Ricky. I don't want to buy any Ricky.

[Cuntysnark]

Oh go on Myboys, I’ve got some super strong Ricky here for you!

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

Well, I could be tempted... rather have a ticket though!

[Silencedwitness]

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-liberation-2020-tickets-86046570609

[Rumplestaleskin]

Yep, ticket purchased.

[NotAssigned]

Ticket bought

[MrsSnippyPants]

I'm going
Something to look forward to!

[nonsenceagain]

I'm going too. Can't wait.

[Voice0fReason]

I'm going!

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

Thank you Silenced! Ticket purchased.

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

Are we carrying packets of Pombears to recognise each other?!

[stumbledin]

I think it is really great that they are putting this on, but ........

It is in no way a "Women's Liberation Conference". I never understand why women who have a particular strand of feminism, eg WPUK socialist feminist, FiLia liberal feminist, all think they can appropriate and some how validate their politics by calling Women's Liberationist.

If it was a women's liberation conference there would be invited "speakers" with women sitting dutifully in rows to someone, somebody else has decided is appropriate to "educate" the attendees.

If it was a women's liberation conference they would have offered to do the organising and then invited women's activists and groups to suggest topics for workshops. then a list of these would be circulated to potential attendees, who would indicate the ones they are interested in, and from that the actual workshops agreed.

Its fine if the conference is a campaign meeting to further the aims of WPUK that they pick speakers, or presume the agenda. But that is a conference about their campaign, not a women's liberation conference.

All these women trying to water down the radical essence of women's liberation, which was / is grassroots organising by groups who network with others.

Because the fundamental need is to ensure that women feel they are equally empowered or entitled to be part of creating the agenda, creating the tactics.

Reverting to the top down, hierarchic structure which depends on a passive consumer audience is directly in contravention of the women's liberation. I appreciate that for many of them being Labour / TU that they think this is how things are organised, but before attempting to appropriate the label of women's liberation they should at least have the decency to find out what that actually is.

Or is it they are so ashamed of being socialist feminists that they dont feel able to publicly say this.

Feminism as a consumer event is not women's liberation.

[stumbledin]

oh dear emontion got the better of me - correction:

If it was a women's liberation conference there would NOT be invited "speakers" with women sitting dutifully in rows to someone, somebody else has decided is appropriate to "educate" the attendees.

[PlonitbatPlonit]

The accusation that WPUK is 'appropriating' Women's Liberation would make one think that women from the socialist tradition have never had anything to do with the Women's Liberation Movement. In fact they were instigators and organisers of the first national WLM conference (which the WPUK conference celebrates).

www.bl.uk/sisterhood/articles/womens-liberation-a-national-movement

It's obvious from the advertising of the event that 'sitting dutifully in rows' or a passive consumer event is not the intention.

There are many ways to organise, and there is more than enough space for different events, actions, discussions organised in different ways (the first batch of tickets for WPUK sold out in less than 24 hours, which gives an indication of the appetite). It's wrong, however, to say that there was or is only one approved method within the WLM - there have always been advocates and critics of the approach stumbled favours www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm

[GeordieTerf]

Sold out

I need to be quicker for the Jan release!

[RubyViolet]

Sold out ! Just tried to buy 2.

[howonearthdidwegethere]

My impression of WPUK events so far is that WPUK hope that an outcome of these meetings is that they act as a catalyst for the women who attend to come together to form groups in their own localities. I'm certainly aware of this happening following some of their meetings (although I've only ever attended one).

There is nothing to stop other women coming together to organise other conferences and if they want to do so with a different approach, that's great too. I've never yet made a Filia conference, but wasn't aware that they invited submissions before formulating the line-up of speakers. Is that the approach they take? (Genuine question as I don't know much about them,)

What I do know from friends who have organised other events is how hard it is to organise events using only volunteers but particularly due to the now extraordinary levels of forethought that have to go into planning security (deeply depressing that that's where we're at if women want to meet publicly to discuss their rights). I imagine that massively complicates things.

I honestly feel that what we need is diversity amongst the feminist groups and the types of events. I have enormous respect for every woman or women's group that steps up to attempt this, however they approach it, especially in the current climate.