Women's Place event in Reading - 4th Dec

There was a woman sitting next to me with a plate of fat juicy chips..... it was torture smelling them.

*well

As a former full-on-doomy-anxiety-twitcher I fink you did brilliantly Kay, we'll done you for braving it. And we can all watch online. And next time!

I did feel my eye drawn to the burger and chips which arrived for the speakers as the banner was being prodded, and which sadly chilled to one side.

I didn't stay all the time, so missed the protesters; there was a small group animatedly talking outside the pub just to the left, and I wondered if they were up to something.

Good to get there, anyway. My issue is anxiety in public places, and stuff like the microphone not working and the banner not sticking to the screen , plus starting late, made me too twitchy to sit there and stay. Which is pathetic. Another time perhaps.

Sorry about the protesters; I hope the idiots did not spoil the evening.

I understand the irritation with why aren't you better undercover agents

But we're being required to behave in such a bizarre way - keeping our presence at an interesting women's meeting secret from our real names on the Internet, hiding the venue til the last minute, using pseudonyms mumsnet names! when we meet, even being slightly suspicious of the other women to start with. It's like living in a totalitarian state and few of us know how to navigate that. Why the fuck should we learn how to navigate that?

WPUK security measures are important and necessary but it's not normal for liberal democracy.

Anyway, I got the train back to London with some excellent women who said FUCK a lot

Great evening! It's my old university, so a bit dismaying to see clearly obviously student protesters there. Ah well, it's no longer the 1990's.

As I left with my friend, we were weakly boo'd and told 'waste of an evening'.

No mate. I was inside in the dry. YOU were outside in the piddling rain for two hours. I rather think it was not my evening that was wasted.

@Anlaf I'm not disputing any of that, I don't see the point of the event being private to avoid protestors and then letting it slip anyway. Why not just make the event public if that's the case. Or, maybe, just be a bit more careful what you talk about online to save the drama that happened tonight.

On another note I had the YMCA song in my head all the way home and will probably be an earworm for the forseeable because the chanting reminded me of the we want you, we want you bit. Its taken a cup of tea and a slice of toast to work that out.

Iwantmybedroomback I don’t know how well you know Reading, but there’s rather a large number of eating and meeting places within walking distance from the Riverside car park, including the university’s London Road campus.

Thanks for clearing up which Baroness Williams was on the case. I was surprised when she said baroness Williams as I also assumed Shirley Williams and when it comes down to it she is a very privileged woman who doesn't actually do much for ordinary women. She fought against abortion rights.

Meh fuck it. They could just attend the talk in future. And hear some ideas.

Or:

• spend ages fruitlessly parading round Reading
• stand outside in December drizzle
• wear masks like pretend cowboys
• face down a woman who went to have a nose
• shout YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TIME at the ladies leaving (wait til you grow up lads and see what you waste your time on)
• follow women who were having a fag at the back and were asked to come in as a result
• have a bit of argy bargy with some security
• maybe get the bonus of frightening some women attending a talk
• attract the attention of a group of passerbys who we got to tell "yeah it's a bunch of blokes protesting a feminist meeting" . "Oh my god typical" they said

It was (despite the flurries of banging from the back and front of the restaurant) such a good evening. I met some lovely impressive women. Heard some just superb women talk and ask questions.

According to the University of Reading Manarchist and Misogynist Society, there were only 20 of you there!

@liquidrevolution

I've parked at riverside as it's the car park I know best. All within walking distance! Now to grab some food before it starts. 

even my husband didnt know where I was

All join Contessa's group yes that sounds totalitarian.

With absolutely no disrespect intended (because I recall the origin story of the name) - ContessaHallelujahSparklehorse's group sounds, rather charmingly, like a finger-painting club with a special biscuit cutter and a preference for toast cut into triangles.

I'm so pleased that it was such an enjoyable event with a fine panel of speakers.

@Iwantmybedroomback

nope not me ! where did you get that information from ?

@ContessaHallelujahSparklehorse the protesters were going to the university until people on here said they parked their cars in town, going to eat and then going to the venue. It doesn't take a genius to figure out which bars near the car park had function rooms. Maybe a little discretion next time wouldn't go amiss.

It would seem that @JellySlice & @liquidrevolution gave away the location. Nice one ladies

Bless em, but our protesters had to hoik round 5 different venues in the pissing rain, to stand outside the actual location with their little banners (not sure why they didn't just buy a ticket, would have been easier!).

A whole tribe of magnificent women disgorged after a brilliant, inspiring and extremely educational event, laughing and chattering, to a row of petulant, mostly male, scarf-covered faces telling us how to feminist.

Yeah ok buddy, we'll take that under advisement...

AMAZING EVENING!

All join Contessa's group yes that sounds totalitarian

The protestor's found us half way through Rosa's speech, and there was banging from the glass restaurant door.

ROSA WAS UNDETERRED.

One day I hope to give a thoughtful, nuanced speech on international human rights law while 20 mainly male protesters bang against the front door of a grill restaurant and a bouncer shouts MOVE BACK MOVE OUT.

According to the University of Reading Manarchist and Misogynist Society, there were only 20 of you there!