Labour lose 3 points - ALL women leaving the party

Every single thing that we can do to advance a manifesto that benefits women is dependent on being able to say who women are.

We cannot carry out equality impact assessments that show how sexist austerity has been if we are not carrying them out on a population of only women.

We cannot make the links between imposing maternal poverty through austerity and the rise in DV plus the subsequent rise in care applications for children if we cannot measure women.

I know another five years of Tory rule is an horrific prospect. But it's five years. Being unable to measure women in order to help them is forever.

I will never, ever, ever, ever, vote for a political party that has self-ID in its manifesto. Never. Fin.

Lots of Twitter brocialists saying it's sue to Labour's stance on Brexit (without asking to any women of course).

Tbf, it will be part of it as will the bullying allegations and the anti semitism.

Just seen this on Twitter from the excellent transwomen Miranda Yardley:

What greater example of the colonisation of womanhood than giving a place on a scheme set up to challenge sex inequality to a trans-identified male who has several times stood for election ‘as a man’ and failed to win majority. This is not progressive

This is what she has retweeted from Ashley Dalton

Best wishes to all my sisters starting the @LabourWomensNet 2nd cohort of the Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme today. If I have any advice it is to be open minded; be kind to yourselves; embrace the sisterhood and ENJOY. @bubwaah @lauragriffiths @Wizardofloz @heatherisone

twitter.com/terrorizermir/status/962642469266624512

Do we know if anyone actually notes the specifics of what is written on spoiled ballot papers?

Ooh typos

Lots of Twitter brocialists saying it's sue to Labour's stance on Brexit (without asking to any women of course). I'm pointing them in the direction of the #Labourlosingwomen hashtag.

When I'm feeling a bit calmer, I'll reply to that email

It's ironic that coming on the 100 year anniversay, mainstream political parties have found a way to effectively disenfrancise women.

All these women saying they won't vote or will spoil their ballots. Net result > > politics is firmly back with men.

The other option is to do something that has been suggested before, not necessarily to do with self ID but for women in general -
Which is to vote for a woman, irrespective. If there is more than one vote for the one that matches views most.

The idea is that across the board women have an interest in women's issues - because of who they are in a way that men just don't. It's often not because men don't care but because it's not personal, they haven't experienced it, it's not on their radar. Better female representation is the only way to get issues that are female only onto the agenda. Many men don't even know what they are. See them as "niche" or minor. This extends to issues affecting children as well a lot of the time.

And while of course some women can be awful for women (hello DUP) they aren't worse than men of a similar ilk.

Having said that I don't know that I could vote tory because it was a woman! But last election I had female options and I took them.

With self ID again, yes some women support it but they at least have the experiences / background to understand the issues and more and more women are peaking all the time. For men, they don't know, don't care. They simply do not know all this stuff about how it feels as a woman in a man's world and hiding from insistent men in the bogs and getting another girl in there to check he'd gone and how men can be very threatening while staying just this side of legal and just how many creepy perves there are out there and how they start with us when we are so young.... So maybe any woman is better than any man, irrespective of party.

Just a thougtht I know it's one that a lot of people feel very uncomfortable with and I understand why! Nadine Dorries for eg lol

Agree with mass leaving and mass spoiling of ballots. Only way to be noticed when not represented by any political party. My constituency was always one of the safest tory seats until last election when Labour came close. I helped go door to door and was so excited by the result. Rather fucked off that I gave them my time now.

I have been a bit taken aback at all the mainstream things about centenary that I have seen including TIMs in their pics etc and being sure to mention them.

Yes, it's left a rather sour taste to something that should have felt like a celebration and empowering.

I have been a bit taken aback at all the mainstream things about centenary that I have seen including TIMs in their pics etc and being sure to mention them.

TIMs would have been able to vote.

Transmen wouldn't so it at least would've made sense but nope it's always TIMs smugly smirking at us, with anything to do with women.

I have never felt more strongly on any issue. I have never been more angry than I am now. No party that erases women will ever have my vote.

Hear hear.
I’ve told my DDs from an early age how important it is to vote. How women died so we could do it, how millions around the world don’t have this right.
How ironic that in the centenary year of us getting the vote, many of us feel we can’t or won’t vote.

Just poking around teh WEP and had forgotten they are in favour of decrim of prostitution,

For those of us who are refems across the board rather than just gender critical, this is another big disappointment.

The challenge will be to enable parties to 'back down' without losing face.
Of course, it is perfectly reasonable for them to say - "it is apparent that there are all sorts of unintended consequences that we just hadn't considered " which is what the Tories seem to be starting to say. (That's what comes from letting fools like Maria Miller lead on this) . But I can't see the Labour party ever backing down in this way.
And tragically the WEP have backed themselves into a corner and I believe they have some very powerful transgender women in senior positions who I presume are dominating the discourse? If they are the 'gatekeepers' then women's rights will never be prioritised. Just look at their targeting of Heather Brunskell Evans for her temerity in appearing on that well known "transphobic programme" The Moral Maze .

Cis inclusivity must never mean trans exclusivity, nor vice versa.

Jesus. What idiotic trans foghorn wrote that?

gogoled wep trans and this was first link, seems they are booting out gender critical people as well

here

This is a GOOD thing.
We cannot speak up for fear of reprisals.
We risk losing jobs if we are gender critical.
We are silenced and no platformed.

BUT WE HAVE A VOTE AND WE CAN USE IT.

If every woman who is feeling silenced objected by leaving her party, this would all be over faster.

Labour, tories, WEP, greens, libdems are all relying on us having nowhere to go.
They are gambling on us staying wherever we currently belong and trying fruitlessly to change things from within. They won't negotiate because are confident that we won't strike. Why should they cede to us when there are no consequences if they don't?

Imagine an organised protest, whereby on a particular date ALL gender critical women cancelled their party membership, regardless of party.

Imagine the YouGov figures on that day.

Womens political strike.

The scale of it would be huge. You can bet that parties would start competing to win women back then.

They think we won't do it. That we'll stay put, one or two brave outspoken women will keep pleading, and that if they can punish those who do this the rest of us will be subdued into silence. This certainly seems to be working like a dream so far.

I'm sure it's been suggested before but would it be worth more of us joining wep and pushing for change through them? Or would it not work?

I've mostly been a Labour voter all my adult life. I think there was one, maybe two occasions when I supported a Lib Dem or Green candidate (can't remember which).

I feel very differently about politics now than when I was young, much less tribal or black and white. My last local MP was a Tory who held the seat for a number of cycles and he was really decent guy with reasonably good voting record on a number of social issues.

He lost the seat at the last election to Labour by a small majority so it's very much a swing seat. I do sort of regret voting him out as I think he would be much more receptive to my women's rights concerns than the current incumbent would.

Just as a thought exercise, if the Tories were the only party to take a stance against self ID and thousands upon thousands of (gender critical) women joined up how would this change the landscape of Tory politics in general?

Would it be a good thing or are the Tories so engrained in their own particular dogma - austerity cuts, pro individualism etc..it wouldn't make a difference?

I’m in a true blue constituency so my vote isn’t going to make a difference. If it was a marginal, given recent elections this could be a lot of seats, it would depend on who my MP was. If a moderate labour mp or candidate I would be inclined to vote for them as I think we need moderates and Momentum are trying to deselect moderate MPs. If it was a momentum MP or one who came out strongly for self ID I would against them. I’m upset about Corbyn and McDonnell are doing to this party. It takes me back militant and Kinnock’s speech about a labour council delivering redundancy notices from a cab.

The WEP has been such a wasted opportunity. Why the hell has a party for Women decided to centre itself around placating penis owners?

The WEP is such a huge disappointment.

The other parties are male-centred and cater to their desires and wishes, irrespective of the light sheen of "equality" over the surface.

Cassandra, I hope you're just grossly exaggerating for effect.

Oh! Also Labour

The committee looking at prostitution

Then it came out that Keith Vaz on the committee was paying for sex with young men. And some of the conversation reported was really gross- something about breaking one of the men in if my memory is right.

Jezza said it didn't matter about this and him being on the committee as it was a private matter.

Fuck them for that too.

Obviosuly very in favour of men being able to pay for sex including breaking them in maybe they have parties with the lib dem men?

Why save an Education system when the shadow minister, doesn't do their job, ignores Mermaids etc and joins a witch hunt instead?

Labour, get some sensible people in and you have my vote, not this shower.

No I havent donated to her campaign. I think I may have signed and shared a petition from Brendan Cox or something perhaps? I can't quite remember.