Email sent to LP member from Dawn Butler: Equality will never be an afterthought

Another reason not to employ women because they could incur costs to your business (yes, I know men are victims of DV too, but not nearly as high a %)

A complete lack of understanding about the courage needed to actually get up and go and who one might want to share that information with

A complete oversight of those who don't work, or who work for someone who knows their partner or family

Here's an idea for any politic party serious about helping female victims of DV: guarantee that any refuge they may seek to use or phone support services they might access will be 100% female staffed

incoherent, random pie in the sky collections of buzzwords that they hope will get a vote from whoever they are talking to on any given day,

Ain't that the truth. What price integrity, and representation of various points of view. I used to be a member of the Greens and admired Caroline Lucas. Not now, no way.

IAmLurkacus

I wasn't a Labour voter before JC got elected but now he is, there isn't enough money in the world that could induce me.

Even so, I am really pissed off with how mindblowingly bad they are as an Opposition. They spend their days spewing out incoherent, random pie in the sky collections of buzzwords that they hope will get a vote from whoever they are talking to on any given day, and hope nobody notices they haven't a thought-through, affordable or remotely viable policy to their name.

Addressing Brexit and being an effective Opposition to the Government is a sideshow for them, because I don't think they would actually know what to do with power if they got it. They're just shitstirring for the sake of it, it seems.

Women in DV situations need so much more than this. it covers the tiny proportion of women who have jobs (and therefore the financial ability to leave).

it misses those women who work for themselves (no employer), who are forced to work from home by their spouse, who don't work, who have childcare or relative care responsibilities, those who need to go into a shelter, those who are ashamed, those who don't get on with their boss, those who fear the stigma.

it misses on so many levels.

ShotsFired

I’m desperately trying not to laugh, because it’s actually really serious. But that sounds like exactly how they choose their policies. It beggars belief that anyone over the age of 25 (or younger if they have critical thinking skills) will actually vote for them. No wonder they want to lower the voting age to 16. Adults can see through this shite and are distinctly unimpressed.

I swear some days it feels like Labour have one of those "what is your cat's superhero name" facebook memes, but for policies.

Name the policy according to the month of your birth
Pick the marginalised group according to the first letter of your name
Decide the outcome of the initiative according to the town you were born in.

Et voila - new policy!

For those of you who have access to The Sunday Times there are several articles on the Labour Party conference highlighting just how far left the party is being driven and the stupidity and hypocrisy behind this.

Apparently the Labour Party is considering a new co- deputy role and pushing for it to be a woman and names suggested are Emily Thornberry, Dawn Butler, Diane Abbott and Angela Rayner.

50,000 women lose their jobs every year over maternity discrimination.
I have no confidence that DV leave won't also be a problem for women, given how many people blame them for getting into that situation in the first place or staying so long.

The email I got from the Organise platform acknowledged that it wasn't a complete solution.

This is the crucial point. As a standalone measure this is so weak (and makes the ignorant assumption all women will want to disclose) and, more to the point, requires no commitment of government resources.

I imagine someone at Labour HQ has told Dawn that uppity feminists have managed to get some traction about Labour's massive misogyny problem and Dawn needs to throw some crumbs in their direction to shut them up. Nothing that would a) cost money or b) upset the menz though. Perish the thought.

And Dawn is so useless she couldn't spin it successfully to save her life.

She is extremely dim.

At this stage that would appear to be the only viable explanation.

It would be feasible in firms like mine because

I can imagine my (1000+) employer coping with this well, my sister's ex-employer with about 20 staff and no HR dept and generally poor about H&S and that kind of thing, not so much.

However, I'm still failing to think this would: be adopted by employers; be feasible in all companies; be something that all people affected by DV would wish to admit to their employers; be feasible to prove in some instances; be applicable to some of the most vulnerable people with ZHC or insecure work

It would be feasible in firms like mine because (a) we have enough people to cover (b) being cynical , this is the sort of stuff that goes well with the sort of touchy/feely / "we are a great place to work at" image we want and which is an adavantage when tendering for public sector contracts (c ) we have a proper HR department who (i) know how to deal with people being off for private, personal reasons without it becoming office gossip and (ii) have authority from management to tell line managers they might not like this sort of thing but for reason (b) they will accede to such a request.

To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if there had been requests made for leave for this sort of thing- our emergency leave policy is already wide enough to cover it.

No, it’s bollocks. The fact it’s from Dawn Butler confirms that

She is extremely dim.

In that case, I'm wrong and the proposer of the 10 day paid leave does have experience.

However, I'm still failing to think this would: be adopted by employers; be feasible in all companies; be something that all people affected by DV would wish to admit to their employers; be feasible to prove in some instances; be applicable to some of the most vulnerable people with ZHC or insecure work.

I'm relieved that it's seen as part of an overall package. Now, if only we could be confident that Labour would introduce timely amendments to Universal Credit; access to refuges and safe housing; an agreed path for dealing with DV perpetrators; decent Family Courts etc. etc.

I have to admit that I didn't see the DV leave as a major insult. I wondered how it would work in terms of informing staff, and of course whether a DV survivor would be able or willing to stay in the same place of work, but I thought the offer of some help as better than nothing. One less thing for people to worry about. The trans stuff I see as a separate issue.

This was proposed by a DV survivor through a platform called Organise.

She wrote: I had a lot of time off that I didn't get paid for when I really needed the money to take my son somewhere safe. It would be such a help for sufferers of domestic violence to receive help with paid leave.

It's also law in New Zealand. The email I got from the Organise platform acknowledged that it wasn't a complete solution.

With the response to her raising the Militant ghost, it’s not going brilliantly for Dawn Butler.

I heard Dawn Butler on Radio 4 this morning talking about thus. She sounded less than convincing, I have to say....

I've tried to write something coherent about the DV part of this several times and failed. I'm normally reasonably articulate but a red mist descends just thinking about this nonsensical proffer of assistance.

Does anyone else have a suspicion that the people who wrote this have absolutely no idea of what's involved in DV or leaving an abuser?

Never mind the paper work, finding someone to take you and the children, re-homing pets, trying to ensure continuity of education etc.

I got the email too. I sent a rather terse email into them. Idiots.

Just tell your boss what's your most private "secret"

This bit. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?

Off you go dears: just disclose all over the place. There's no shame or fear attached at all. No stigma. No office gossip.

Did they learn nothing from the Tories and the rape clause?

Dawn is useless. Disgrace to the job.