Who to vote for as a feminist

Oh and welcome to MN - how are you enjoying it so far?

Fay, wouldn't you be better telling us about some of the other Green Party policies that might appeal yk feminists?

Compare to the NZ model- if someone in prostitution wishes to contact police he or she can do so without fear of arrest for anything prostitute-related, and won't have to worry about losing her/his home or children just because they are in prostitution.

Selling sex is decriminalised completely under the NZ model, but not the Nordic model.

Quote from Carina Edlund, a Swedish women in prostitution:

“Before even thinking of a law that criminalises men who buy sex, UK politicians should hear from Swedish sex workers like myself about how we have treated under the law. We are still criminalised if we work together in apartments, we risk losing our home if we sell sex there even if we own it, social workers treat as like children and we can even lose custody of our kids because we are seen as victims suffering from a form of self-harm who can't take care of ourselves. This law should be taken away not exported to other countries.”

lauraslifeandthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/sex-workers-response-stop.html

But that is what happens in Sweden, not because of drug abuse, but because they are in prostitution they are seen as victims of self-harm. Petite Jasmine also had her kids taken off her once she reported her abusive partner which led to the police finding out what she did for a living.

Prostitutes will also have to hide what they do from their landlord because the landlord would legally have to evict them if s/he knew the residence was being used for prostitution.

The Nordic model has recently been passed in Northern Ireland and just like Sweden, it will still be illegal to sell sex unless the prostitute is alone. A prostitute will also be committing an offence under the Nordic model if she advertises her services (advertising sexual services is not currently a crime in GB).

IMO it sounds like the Nordic model forces people in prostitution to be secretive about what they are doing (or being forced to do) rather than feeling free to be able to contact police or social services if needed.

The Nordic model does not say that women in prostitution can keep their children regardless of their home situation or the welfare of the child. That would be ridiculous. Similarly it does not require removal of children.

Given the prevalence of drug addiction and abuse among women in prostitution, I would think there would be a higher level of removals for women in prostitution.

Buffy all the pro-pimp/punter lobby can do is manipulate the discussion. It's the same as when they use the example of Petite Jasmine, who was murdered by an abusive partner, as evidence that the Nordic model leads to women being murdered.

So (sorry Buffy - but I don't know the answDr to your question!) this idea of checking out candidates, makes sense obviously! How are people finding out more about candidates who are running for the first time?

The only thing I know about the Ipswich model is that a dedicated team of social workers is part of the scheme to help them.

Growing up with a parent being a prostitute obviously doesn't necessarily have to mean a bad childhood, but I would have thought it was pretty obvious how awful it could be as part of a bigger picture.

Wish we had a MN party ( sigh)

I'd vote for Buffy!

< and Anyfucker >

Zippey thanks for that link, excellent questionnaire! I live in a Tory area so voting Labour won't make any difference ( my vote would be wasted anyway) so I'm going to vote Green. Apparently they've got more support than the Lib Dems now. Although I abhor prostitution I don't think criminalising it will help. A bit like with drugs, if you legalise it, hopefully you can regulate it and help people to get out of it or at least manage it better.

i would also like my vote to send a signal of what kind of people i would like to be in power, who i want to be advocating for me

my vote can't do all the things i would like it to do obviously, because we are bound by the candidates and parties that are available to us to vote for, but it is something i want to consider

But surely the local, individual MP represents the party they join and stand for ....voting for them will give that party they represent your backing. policies are what changes lives.

Try this site which tells you what party you side with most according to the questions it asks you: uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

Id vote SNP or Greens

I would like to see the NZ model combined with the Merseyside model (which would treat crimes against prostitutes as hate crimes)

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ruth-jacobs/prostitution-law-merseyside-model_b_4731381.html

what about the strategy in Ipswich (and across Suffolk tackling sexual exploitation in general), does that have any major flaws? Body count seems a lot lower

I have grown more disillusioned with politicians as I have grown older. I want a new box to tick on the election vote slip. It will say 'I vote for none of you. Nobody on this form deserves my vote. You don't understand me, you don't represent me, and frankly you don't give a shit.'

I'd then make it compulsory to vote. I hope enough people would tick this box that it would be a real kick up the arse for those in Westminster.

I don't think women in prostitution should be arrested if they work together (and they don't even have to be working at the same time- if a premise is shared it is still a brothel if there is a max of 1 at any given time).

I also don't think women in prostitution should have their children taken from them just because they are in prostitution (this happens with the Nordic model).

This is partly why I support the Green's position on prostitution. Only within the NZ model will those in prostitution be completely decriminalised. The Nordic model has too many faults.

i agree with you workingbling. i tend towards greens though i am concerned about the legalised prostitution proposal, but my local labour candidate is an excellent woman and labour policies have served women relatively well so far. i am so utterly disillusioned with the leaders of the majority of parties though - many seem to be completely interchangeable

The best way would be for us, women and feminists, to keep the pressure up and go for nominations ourselves.

When talking about policies (feminist or otherwise) we do have to look at track record vs manifestos. With the understanding that various pressures may lead governments in very different directions from where they planned (not least of all, global economics).
In general I prefer parties that have better social policies.

I tend to go Labour as historically their policies have, in a round-a-bout way, benefited women, as the problems they have tried to tackle have disproportionately affected women.

I don't know that any incoming government is going to be able to un-do what this coalition have been doing to health and social care and welfare.

Locally, I live in a Labour constituency, and our MP has been helpful to us, but he's also a bit 'boys club' and I lost a bit of faith after he failed to pull up members of his team on their poor, sexist, behaviour.

Blimey my grammar's gone to the dogs