Heidi Allen standing down

What a truly sad state of affairs we find ourselves in. It never ceases to sadden me. Who is going to be put in their place...? M/C white older men who follow the "do or die" party line and listen to no one but Johnson/Corbyn?

Front page Times article this morning

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/general-election-2019-morgan-in-exodus-of-moderate-tory-mps-zx7wdxknn?shareToken=ef42fb856fe628e473939bc09ae6b648

It is horrendous that women are being bullied out of public office. Heidi Allen is clearly not the only one. When this is a feature of everyday life you have to question who is getting all the abuse and why. Same old, same old

She’s part of a Tory government who have fucked over 10s of millions of people worse off than themselves, so I have zero sympathy. You reap what you sow.
Good riddance

BBC now claiming over 50 MPs preparing to stand down. A lot of this is about Brexit surely? And the abuse they get.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49607907

@DadDadDad I lurk and comment but I'd rather people didn't know where I live so I name-changed just for this thread Welcome to the feminist board! The LDs aren't the only party who've chucked us under the bus, as you probably know... lots of us feel politically homeless.

I don't think you read what I said ofcourseidid.

I said, "I don't really care why she is stepping down tbh. I care that it is entirely believable that it is because of misogynistic abuse and that that hasobviouslyplayed a part in it. And that that should be an acceptable part of politics in 2019 beggars belief. That is what needs discussing. 'She was going to go anyway' is not a feminist response to this issue."

And you counter that by saying that I am 100% accepting what she is saying. When my whole point is that I don't.

Thanks, SouthCambsVoter (oddly specific username - do you change it for every thread you're on? ).

I'm a bit surprised to find myself discussing politics on the Feminism board. It's an easy choice for me to vote LD in this constituency as the best chance to stop the Tories and fly the Remain flag one last time (maybe). I know LDs are not liked by GC feminists, but on the balance of what's really pressing now, I can't see an alternative.

Thanks @DadDadDad, that was really well-put. I agree. And I am planning to write NONE across my paper as not one of the parties represents what I want for the country

I'm not entirely convinced when those like Allen or Umuna who changed parties more than once are described as indecisive and self-serving. Sure, that's the characterisation party-loyal MPs want to portray to defend the fact they've stayed in a party they disagree with - I'd say those MPs are the self-serving ones, because they are hoping their loyalty will be rewarded with promotions and power.

Allen must have known that joining Change UK was unlikely to get her into government and was a risky gamble that would be likely to end her political career - the "safe" option would be to stay a Tory and keep her seat (and avoid some of the abuse).

As for indecisive: it's an easy shot for satirists (and I've laughed too at the "which party are you in this week, Heidi?" gags) to describe someone as indecisive when they change their mind when circumstances change (which they have quite dramatically this year).

Sorry that last post was a bit disjointed!

I rather disagree. This constituency has had a Tory MP since its formation, despite several strong opposition candidates. Heidi was brand new and unknown when she replaced Lansley, and still got elected. People like her, and she has been a good MP for us, and she is anti-Brexit, like the majority of the constituents (60% remain, 81% turnout). I think she could certainly have been re-elected even as a LD.

Our county council is LD and most of the local councils are LD, and certainly my local LD councillors are brilliant hard-working people. That said, I wouldn't want them in govt, so I don't vote LD nationally (or Labour or Tory or Green this time!)

The new Tory candidate is an unknown but of course is male and that often makes a difference unfortunately. As things stand now, we will get another Blue male MP and Parliament has lost a decent member.

It’s abhorrent the level of abuse she and other MPs have received.

However, despite you all jumping on a PP about it, that is clearly not the reason she is standing down. She’s been told to stand down because having joined the Libs it’s become quite apparent she is unelectable in a constituency that otherwise they have a chance of winning. Locally people are absolutely fed up of her antics.

If your local MP had been pro-Brexit. Then decided they were anti-Brexit, then left CON to be the leader of Change UK, then left change UK to join the Libs. Would you vote for them or would you think there were indecisive, self-serving and a strong risk to abandon whatever party you were voting for making the outcome of your vote deeply uncertain?

This thread caught my eye because I'm one of her constituents. While there was a large gap between LD and Con at last two elections, I believe it was a lot closer in 2010, and since then voters have probably been "punishing" LD for being in coalition, allowing Labour to move into second place.

It's a very pro-Remain area, and so I think it is quite credible that LD could take it from the Tories - if Lab get squeezed and enough Remain Tories are convinced to switch. I can't decide whether if Allen had decided to stand this time that would have helped LD get votes or not - on the one hand, I have a bit of resentment that she helped the Tories get into power in the past, on the other hand, I am impressed that she has stuck her neck out and taken a big risk with her political career.

Despite not being a Tory supporter, I have always seen her as sincere in her beliefs and trying to do the best for the country. I think she was a bit naive about the "nasty" side of the Tories and their attraction to Brexit. It is clear that she has suffered some terrible, unacceptable abuse (there was a court case, mentioned by a PP). So, I find her two reasons for leaving disappointing but fairly credible.

The abuse women MPs receive is unacceptable.

I don’t think many (any?) of the MPs who have resigned their party whip/lost their party whip/crossed the floor of their own accord will be re-elected.
This applies to left/right/middle and male and female MPs.

It’s possible to hold both of these opinions without being anti feminist.

When we can see with our own eyes that the abuse she and other female MPs are suffering is unacceptable, I do not understand why you (ofcourseidid) feel this needs questioning on any level. As she says, her reasons for leaving are also tied up with frustration at not managing to get anything done to help her constituents and maybe she just doesn't have the strength to go with another election whether she is likely to win as a Lib Dem or not?

Why does this need to be questioned? Is this not just victim blaming.

Concerns from female MPs are now a matter of Parliamentary record. It is undeniably happening. Anyone who has watched the news recently would have heard and seen the aggressive/highly vocal approaches from protestors as MPs are walking down the street near the Houses of Parliament. They are not at work as they are walking down the street and do not deserve this kind of harassment.

@ShesDressedInBlackAgain

But you are just seeing and hearing what you want. You want the reason for her to be standing down to be due to the abuse so you accept her statement 100% without question. What is anti-feminist about questioning something someone has said? What is anti-feminist in wondering if actually there might be something else happening behind the scenes?

People can lie or be economical with the truth. Therefore in no circumstance should you just blindly accept as fact something that someone says. Or perhaps because you a feminist you should 100% believe everything a woman tells you?

I would suggest aggressively eradicating online abuse against all needs to figure very highly in the legislature and very highly in the classroom and education's of the next generations.

Perhaps - in fact - you can't see the bigger picture?

When you say 'abuse...needs to be aggressively eradicated' how do you think that happens? The fact that the minute a woman says 'this is too much' - people challenge that by saying 'she would have gone anyway' - thus denying and minimising the issue - is a major major part of the problem. So, far from 'aggressively' eradicating the problem, in fact you are part of it.

I don't really care why she is stepping down tbh. I care that it is entirely believable that it is because of misogynistic abuse and that that has obviously played a part in it. And that that should be an acceptable part of politics in 2019 beggars belief. That is what needs discussing. 'She was going to go anyway' is not a feminist response to this issue.

Let’s close this thread and not feed the GF

@GoFiguire

Perhaps you think it is patronising because you don't understand it...

Patronising much?

The responses to my comment demonstrate you can't think for yourselves. I haven't denied anywhere that Heidi Allen has been subject to abuse. In fact I have agreed that this is true.

I just question if that is the driving factor behind her standing down. But I fear none of you are intelligent to actually debate this point.

It didn't happen and if it did happen it wasn't that bad?

Cool. And I'm the one with the unoriginal thinking

or harrassment