Spectator article: Don't fall for it people

Thanks for posting @JenniferJames

However, like many other women I've become more and more disillusioned by the party over the last few years.

Local meetings overrun by momentum supporters who show no willingness to engage in any discussion or debate.

Shutting down long standing party members with cry's of "Blairite" or "Brownite" without thought (or even slightly applicable) when an opinion that deviates from their mantra is tabled.

The levels of verbal aggression, designed to deliberately shut down those to the centre left of the party, serve to make a mockery of democratic process within the party.

Oh and Self ID - don't even go there unless you are prepared to to face a barrage of criticism - as to be fair you are much aware of.

Stay and fight the fight?

Sorry but no. It's not a party I believe in any more and I don't want to fight for it. I want to fight against it.

JC has lost not just my membership but also my vote. I will not be voting Labour whilst he remains leader (well nominal leader as the momentum puppeteers pull his all too willing strings).

It's not MN against JC - it's a lot worse than that.

It's whole swathes of the previously Labour supporting population that feel totally and utterly pissed off by the aggressive, misogynistic, anti-semitic dogma being perpetrated by momentum who prop up the leadership.

My parents (members for 40 years) have left the party - independently of myself and my DH, I might add. So have many of their friends, driven out of CLP's they have dedicated so much time and effort to over decades due to the "war zone" they feel those meetings have now become.

We are not "falling" for anything. The party is divided imho and many of us are finding the only way to make their voices heard over the aggressive shouts and no platforming of the Corbymentum gang is to vote with our membership, time and money.

He hasn't had time?

I've heard it all now.

The man is not fit to call himself leader of anything.

@HerFemaleness dont think they care. As has been said by other elsewhere and numerous times before, look at the whole anti-semitism issue. Commissioned a report, which has done nothing and promoted the author to HoL.

There's lots of reasons I wouldn't vote for Corbyn. The fact he seems incapable of providing a decent opposition to the lame duck Tories. The fact he apparently had no position on Brexit. The fact his party is dogged by rumours of antisemitism and misogyny, and he does very little about that either (17 momentum members elected to the NEC, 17 men).
Lily Madigan and the self ID stuff is the icing on the cake in my opinion. JC clearly clearly doesn't care what women think or he'd have stamped on LMs atrocious behaviour.
TBH Jennifer I don't know why you remain so loyal. From the outside it looks like the behaviour of a beaten dog.
You'd fight better standing yourself as an independent on a women's rights tickets - and your comrades too.
Seriously, you don't have to put up with this shit. That party don't deserve your loyalty at the moment.

Honestly? I don't think he's had time to consider it in detail.

I keep hearing this but it's not good enough. He's not a backbencher, he's the leader of the fucking opposition! He should get properly informed about these issues. It's not rocket science - surely even he can't pose with Sophie Cook or Lily Madigan and honestly think they are women?

But why isn't he listening to us? We only make up about half the population of the UK! Linda Bellos and A Woman's Place have offered to speak with him about this and have apparently had no response at all from his office.

Can't help but think that Labour need to know they're in danger of losing the votes of the people who put them within spitting distance of Downing Street in the last election.

I'm glad to see pressure on Labour and I say this as a Labour party member.

Is Rosie Duffield definitely against?

When she was on Sunday Politics South East last December, with Maria Caulfield and Lily Madigan, she seemed very uncertain. She was using phrasing like, "Lily should be able to stand for WO role if that's what Lily feels she wants to do". It was very fudgy and cautious, I thought, especially given Lily was staring straight at her.

Well, it's consistent with what Jennifer has posted on Twitter today so, if she has been hacked, it must be both her Twitter & MN accounts.

She must be under enormous pressure. I do strongly disagree with her stance on Corbyn, but I have huge admiration for her campaign on AWS.

Has it been verified that this account actually belongs to Jennifer James? This seems like a very odd post to make in light of recent events. I did a bit of searching on it and didn't see any concrete proof that this is actually her. I am always suspicious of accounts claiming to be public figures unless they've somehow been verified...

Well, no matter if it is or isn't the Jennifer James, I refuse to vote Labour if this witch hunt continues. I would rather spoil my ballot than vote for a party that has shown such poor regard for women.

Do you mean pulled in favour of self-ID women?? Or pulled to consider no one other than women-women?

The former.

I'm a lifelong socialist, left Labour after Iraq, rejoined to support Corbyn. I'm still hopeful sanity will prevail, and that a lot of people (including Corbyn) haven't really thought this through yet, and still think its all about being kind to people with dysphoria.
Thanks Jennifer for what you've done to raise the issue and start the debate.

I am a woman before anything else

Completely agree with this. I welcome support on this issue from wherever it comes, it is more important than any individual politician or party.

Me too. Just hanging on member here, feeling politically homeless. Hate the leadership for this insulting nonsense and for Brexit.

I have heard rumours that a number of the leaders of the big unions are against self-id but are afraid of the backlash that will happen if they come out and say it

Sorry but I don't believe that for one second.

Jennifer (if you're still here)
So you said the statement that only
The NEC were about to confirm that only transwomen with a GRC were eligible for AWS but then the statement was pulled

Do you mean pulled in favour of self-ID women?? Or pulled to consider no one other than women-women?

I'm aware how influential Momentum are and they're also insanely pro self-ID all gender fluid pink haired teens and such...
Which is why gender critical voices need to shout louder to be heard and it will be possible in numbers.

I also take the point of fighting from within, but something has to come from those at the front right now.

It cannot be a case of "If we win the next election we will look at this then." It's too urgent for that.

That's not to say the other parties are off the hook when it comes to speaking out.

They all need to make a clear stance on this now.

*Together we can end Tory genocide of the poor, sick and disabled at the expense of half the population.

Fixed that for you Momentumbot 😉

Agreed Curried

I'm still a member of the Labour party. Angela Eagle is my MP and should be bloody ashamed of herself to support this fuckwittery.

But if the Tories oppose this I'm with May all the way.

This is the bridge I'll die on. Or betray my socialist principles for.

I am a woman before I am anything else and if Corbyn wants women to vote for him he needs to understand exactly that which we are not.
For the avoidance of doubt, that would be men.

While you continue to have Lily Madigan as the ridiculous figurehead for "Women's" officer I cannot either trust, respect or vote for Labour again

Same.

I'm a life long Labour voter, but not anymore. Who the hell I vote for now, I have no idea.

And I have been a lifelong Labour voter. No more.

It is important to remember that only a Corbyn gov't will lift women out of poverty, build homes, invest in the economy, make tuition fees free and stop invading the Middle East

That will mean nothing if I can no longer leave my home and feel at least a margin of safety in a private space.

What good will money do me if my autistic daughter is being taught a non factual dogma that she is vulnerable to at school? I'd rather stay hungry.

Not invading anyone is great, but at the cost of our sex being erased from statistics? Women's rights? Our safety?

I am already suffering under austerity, we have little money and a disabled daughter.

I know which hill I would rather die on though. I will not support a party that would pretend it was horrified if someone appropriated my race, but will happily stand by and encourage men to take places meant for me, protections meant for my daughter.

This mark of the 100 year history of us getting the vote has set a fire inside of me. Women fought and died to get us the rights now being frittered away by Labour and others.

I will gladly suffer austerity (if the Tories make the right noises re:self Id) for as many years as it takes to secure my daughter's future.

i think Corby, still thinks it's transsexuals who go through a major change and surgery

That's not how it came across in the photo of him next to Lily Madigan, cheek to cheek.

I totally understand that working from within can be very effective.

And he's got time to make that happen.

The ball is totally in his court.

But he has to play it. He can't just ignore it and expect women to shrug and hope.

Cornyn is like Blair, Blair war abroad, Cornyn war at home on women and children.

MyBrilliantDisguise I feel the same.

The only time I've ever voted other than Labour was because I couldn't bring myself to vote for Tony Blair.

I still feel that I was right to vote with my gut and my conscience at that time, and I'm feeling that way now.

I like JC, and I like my amazing female Labour MP. But with the likes of Lily Madigan gloating and goading I don't feel I can vote Labour in any sort of good conscience.

If they want my next vote then "Corby" and the rest of the Labour party need to fix this and fast. He's had time to think about this, and he's surely aware of that list Lily Madigan and their supporters were keeping about women MP's.

What's being done about that because it sounds fucking intimidating to me? I'm actually concerned about my MP to the point of being reluctant to contact her about this and have someone set their sights on her.

Definitely AGAINST us.
My MP Stella Creasey.