Help - who can we vote for this week?

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

I have no idea who to vote for in the council, mayoral and police commissioner elections this week. The only parties I know that support women’s rights are the SDP and the Communist Party, and they have no candidates standing locally.

I thought I’d seen a thread about women gathering local information around the UK but I can’t find it. There’s nothing about eg keeping public facilities single-sex in any local candidate’s publicity.

Any ideas, anyone? Today I’ll try and grab time to email every local candidate asking what they would do to protect single-sex facilities and child safeguarding.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I'm planning on writing a little sticker saying that I'd vote LibDem if they cared about the rights of natal women. It will save time in the ballot booth.

I might just scrawl on the ballot paper, though.

[transsloth]

Sarah Phillimore's GRARG group have contacted all the PCC candidates. There's going to be a blog sharing the responses, not seen it yet though.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

Thanks for introducing me to the Gender Recognition Act Reform/ Repeal Group at gcritical.org/category/the-gra-group/ , TransSloth! A new bookmark in my ever-growing Feminism list. I’ll look out for her update on the blog.

I feel the same way about the Greens, Grumpy. But frankly I’d vote for anyone who supported women’s rights.

[Sexnotgender]

In Scotland and only Alba support women’s rights and they’re only standing on the list. I think I’ll spoil my constituency vote.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

@Sexnotgender

In Scotland and only Alba support women’s rights and they’re only standing on the list. I think I’ll spoil my constituency vote.

Also the Tories aren't too bad on women's rights.

[SolitaryBee]

I don’t understand how Alba can say they support women’s rights and in the same breath tell us to vote SNP for the constituency.

[SquirmOfEels]

For London Mayor I'm voting Binhead as a protest vote.

There are GC candidates in most elections, also if that's your sine qua non issue, then you'll have to vote hard right

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

@SolitaryBee

I don’t understand how Alba can say they support women’s rights and in the same breath tell us to vote SNP for the constituency.

Because for independence they need SNP to win all of the constituency seats.

And if the SNP don't win the constituency seats they will get the list seats instead, pushing ALBA out.

[LouHotel]

Spoiling ballot - I can't bring myself to vote for the local Conservative.

In the general the con candidate is more central so will like vote blue for the first time then.

[StillFemale]

I’m struggling.

PCC best candidate is Labour and they have a good chance but it will be close so I was thinking of spoiling my ballot with #LabourLosingWomen and #SexIsBiological or would #WomanAdultFemale be better for second?

[Zeugma]

We're voting in local council elections this week. The Tories will win in my area anyway; a donkey in a blue rosette would win, sadly. As a lifelong Labour voter who could never vote Tory, I'm seriously contemplating spoiling my ballot paper for the first time ever. Like PP I was thinking of going with 'Woman = Adult Human Female' written across it.

[Floisme]

There was a statement doing the rounds a few weeks ago that I was planning on borrowing for the ballot box but now I can't remember it or who used it
I think it was along the lines of, 'No X if you don't recognise my sex' but more succinct.

[Boiledeggandtoast]

Grumpy Someone on a previous thread (I'm sorry I can't remember who it was) gave a link to Liberal Voice for Women, which gave me some hope:

liberalvoiceforwomen.org/policy

[transsloth]

Here's the results from the grarg pcc questions.

gcritical.org/2021/05/03/ask-your-pcc-here-are-the-answers/

[StillFemale]

@transsloth

Here's the results from the grarg pcc questions.

gcritical.org/2021/05/03/ask-your-pcc-here-are-the-answers/

Thanks transsloth I’m a bit taken aback by the recommended PCC candidate for my PCC area. It was one I’d outright rejected as a possibility for other reasons. I’m in a quandary now

[transsloth]

I think the recommendations are based entirely on their responses to sex/gender questions.

My area came out as no recommendations, the responses were relatively complex but ultimately they didn't specifically state that crimes should be recorded by sex.

[Strikemepink]

Thanks for the link to the pcc responses, unsurprisingly none of the candidates answered for my area.

I think for the local elections I will vote focussing on local issues, I don’t like to spoil my ballot paper has having worked in the count many times they are simply glanced at by the candidates or their agents to verify that it’s not possible to determine who is being voted for. It is fast paced and I doubt in such a high pressure environment the candidates or agents will care / take note of any message, if indeed they are given a chance to read it.

[ProfessorInkling]

@transsloth

Here's the results from the grarg pcc questions.

gcritical.org/2021/05/03/ask-your-pcc-here-are-the-answers/

Thanks for this, my recommended candidate wants to ‘remove Stonewall’s influence’ - I could not find this elsewhere in relation to them, so this is great.

[SolitaryBee]

ItsAllGoing to Be Fine

I understand the theory. SNP constituency votes are what Alba needs to get their people elected. I think however Alba’s support for the SNP is in direct conflict with Alba’s stated support for women. How can they put out this video //www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK-OW6-6a9Q saying they want to maintain sex-based protections but at the same time tell us to vote for the SNP who are pursuing policies that are deeply damaging to women? It makes me think that it is pure political opportunism. Alba see a chance to pick up voters disenfranchised by the anti-women policies of other parties. If the SNP form the next Scottish government how are Alba going to prevent GRA reform and revoke the HCB?

[MissBarbary]

It makes me think that it is pure political opportunism

Of course it is.

[bitheby]

I am holding my nose and voting Lib Dem. Otherwise the Tories get in a s that's worse.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

@Boiledeggandtoast, thanks for that link. I did emailing them, and realised before I sent it that I just cannot being myself to vote for a party that doesn't give a shiny shit about the welfare of women in prison, about the risks to women in sport. Just can't do it.

The Tory will win anyway. Spoilt ballot time.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

Floisme -- If you don’t respect my Sex, don’t expect my X!

I've just seen it on the GRARG site showing the letter they wrote to all PCC candidates, at
gcritical.org/2021/04/07/police-and-crime-commissioners/

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

Thanks for the link, transsloth.

[IloveJKRowling]

Well this is incredibly helpful, thanks for the link transsloth I now know who to vote for. Brilliant stuff.