JK Rowling responds to pathetic Labour MP

Good article. But what Starmer will do if Labour get in is hard to tell. Here's a good thread on his politics:

twitter.com/HzBrandenburg/status/1276532775403900928

Regarding women's rights, the Tories would be foolish not to press for a culture war. All they have to do is ask Labour politicians to define women and watch them squirm. There is also the international context - the TRA movement is highly networked and embedded in international organisations, multinational corporations, tech companies and global culture. Starmer will not be able to just park the issue, I think.

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/29/tories-culture-war-voters-statues-churchill-red-wall-labout?__twitter_impression=true
The Tories want a culture war – but most voters aren't thinking about statues or Churchill

Brexit is not the only possible culture war in town. Some have suggested that No 10 is actively looking for a fight on cultural and identity issues, seeking to drive a distinction between Tories and Labour for red wall voters – whether on statues, trans issues, or the right to tell offensive jokes.

On the surface, this approach feels like it might work. Paula Surridge of Bristol University has shown that 2019 Conservative voters are united in their social conservatism, while Labour is more vulnerable as its voters are split.

But polling on these issues sets up a divide that might not be at the front of people’s minds. Britain is not the US, where polarisation among politicians has translated into polarisation among the public. In focus groups I have conducted over the last few years, statues, transgender toilets and no-platforming barely register. Most people do not know what “woke” even means. Views are also more mixed than many assume – in my focus groups, people criticised both protesters and Dominic Cummings for breaking lockdown rules, not one or the other.

For the sake of Labour’s electoral fortunes, if the Conservatives do pursue a culture war, the opposition should not take the bait. Years of prominence may mean that, as in the US, the debate becomes embedded in the public consciousness – and as Surridge’s analysis shows, that will be to the advantage of the Conservatives.

Tony Blair recently said the Labour party must avoid launching “politically into a kind of culture war”, and that the party would have a far better chance of delivering social progress if it bided its time and changed things from office. It already looks as if Labour may be learning this lesson. Two weeks ago, the Sunday Times splashed on No 10’s plans to scrap an amendment to the Gender Recognition Act that would have allowed people to change their gender on their birth certificate without a medical diagnosis. It had all the makings of a week-long row, but Starmer sidestepped the issue. The beat of the Conservatives’ culture war drum quickly died out.

Congratulations JK! I might have to write again.

PurpleCrowbar - what you say makes sense. I hope you're right. I take heart from the fact that Starmer seems pretty bright, which Corbyn wasn't.

In the meantime, let's keep up the pressure. I sent a polite email to the Labour Party yesterday pointing out that women make up 50% of the electorate, and it's really not a good idea to piss us off if you want to win the election.

Not sure that this is the right thread, but something positive in the light of the week (year?) JKR must be having - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone won one of the most prestigious UK book industry awards last night - best book of the last 30 years. And how poised and gracious JK is in her acceptance speech (ceremony was virtual of course.)

twitter.com/rowlinglibrary/status/1277720974335582208

Comments are overwhelmingly positive, except for the ridiculous mantra gif, which appears like some sort of dystopian brainwashing tool early in the thread and is just an embarrassment to the TRA cause.

Congratulations JK!

It's possible that I'm over-estimating Keir Starmer's wiliness, but I absolutely think he's playing a waiting game over this.

Being lukewarm about trans rights/not signing lunatic pledges gives enough hope to GC women that we don't dismiss him out of hand. & sure, Labour has a mostly 'older man' problem, but those older men have wives & daughters & granddaughters.

Meanwhile, anyone with eyes can see that the TRAs are batshit, misogynistic cranks AND more importantly if you're a politician playing the long game, if you leave them alone they eat each other.

If I were KS I'd be letting BJ take all the flak, mumbling soothing but meaningless platitudes about 'complex issues...listen to everyone...two sides...blah blah blah'.

Wait until public opinion is firmly against GRA reform - & the more sunlight, the less support it has - & then, without too much fuss, move to offer third spaces & maybe some increased anti discrimination measures like it's all his idea.

He's got a couple of years to bed in. Last thing he needs is for this to become Labour's civil war - he's seen how foregrounding it worked for the other leadership candidates.

TBF, I think that first step can be extremely difficult. It must be painful to know that you are about to go from much loved icon to hate figure and it takes guts and even more so masses of confidence in your ideas and ability to express them, to do it.
We know that JKR had a 'middled aged moment' a couple of years ago. I expect Stephen King to be back eventually.

Yeah really disappointed in Stephen King. He doesn't share JKRs courage. I'm glad she's not backing down. The abuse is terrible and she's not even transphobic. I'd have her on our side over absolutely anybody. Extremely classy lady.

I can’t wait until Owen Jones steps out of his very tight far left line and gets eaten by its own. I hope he’s got his flail ready to whip himself naked down the street when he messes up.

i agree with 'wait and see' on keir starmer.

its better to wait for the tra's movement to burn itself out - which it will do- than to take on another battle which at this moment in time would be v nasty.

i saw ben bradshaw mp chiding david arranovitch 'have you spent time listening to transpeople'? arrogant fecker.

Zuby is always great on this issue. Will have a look.

I’ve just been watching some Triggernometry videos on YouTube and I think my favourite so far is Zuby discussing BLM. However at 35 mins he discusses JKR and is just so succinct and clear about her stance that it was so bloody refreshing. I’d recommend a look at the whole video if anyone has an hour spare as he’s very very good.

I’ve never voted Tory in my life and never thought I would, but if it comes to it I will vote Tory on this single issue, and the sad thing is that as a white middle class woman who doesn’t get benefits my life won’t be particularly affected under a Tory government, I’ll still own my house and be able to afford food and clothes.

Labour need to wake up and see that if the general public don’t like them they won’t get into power, but the whole Corbyn fiasco showed us they’d rather stick to their ideas than be in power.

Article of faith?

Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

Is the other option Boris Johnson?

Or whoever else slides into Number 10 in the meantime. But the Tories have said they will protect the status quo for women.

Lib Dems said there’s no place for GC women in their party as have Greens. I think that’s it on my local ballot paper.

There’s nothing to suggest from what he has said that he is biding his time

Of course there isn’t, he’s got more sense than to reveal his hand at such an early stage.

Thank you for the screenshots @Ereshkigalangcleg, that’s really kind of you. I think the esteemed Mr Jones overestimates the level of concern in the young population about trans issues. Comes from never looking outside your echo chamber I guess.

Aargh, Owen Jones. Gives me the rage.

Even if his stats were true - THEY'RE NOT - that's still 28% of women NOT ok with male bodies in women's spaces and 28% of 51% of the population still outnumbers the number of transpeople HUGELY. Why is taking away their rights preferable to creating third spaces which allow everyone dignity, safety and privacy?

The utter disregard for women is so shockingly blatant.

There’s nothing to suggest from what he has said that he is biding his time, and everything to suggest that he is trying to keep the lid firmly closed on Schrödinger’s Cat.

Let’s face it, the only reason people are still hoping is because the other option is Boris Johnson.

Is the other option Boris Johnson?

1. We have a long time until an election.
2. There is no guarentee it will be Johnson he faces. Its likely but Johnson has his own internal problems and problems with the public to contend with before then.
3. The world is looking very uncertain right now. Things are going to change a lot in that time. It makes sense for Starmer to hedge his bets for the time being where he can.
4. Labour has an 'older man problem' not a 'women problem'. There are not a significant number of extra votes to be won from pushing too hard on women's rights at the moment. Sadly.

There is nothing from what he has said that he is biding his time. He has, however, made the point that trans rights are also not his immediate priority though by saying we need a debate. He's shoved it down the agenda list rather than allowing it to be near the top.

Personally I'll take 'keeping the lid firmly closed on Schrondinger's Cat' for the time being over a mindless TWAW for strategic reasons.

I haven't, in the last 4 years, tended to live in blind hope when it comes to politics and political promises. Indeed I've tended to firmly warn against it.

The earth is moving in terms of what is happening politically and how the culture war is developing.

I think we will see a huge clash in the US in November which may have massive ramifications world wide (especially in the context of the end of the UK's transition from the EU at the end of December) which will bring parts of the culture war to a real head.

The big issue with the culture war is how party activists are not aligned with the priorities of the wider public and this is important. Fractures only are sustainable to a point, at which they become full on confrontations.

Thats the direction of travel. Bricks being thrown.

I do think that whatever Starmer believes he is aware of the looming culture war crisis and how the current government is trying to set traps along those lines and he needs to do his best to avoid them rather than outwardly and publically endorse them. His background does serve him in this sense.

It may not work to our favour in the long term. Starmer might work against women's interests.

However I see his current position as one that means we have some breathing space and some time to organise and campaign before Labour policy is set in stone before the next election.

This isn't making the assumption that Starmer is on our side. Its making the assumption and taking positives from the fact that he's not actively trying to completely shut women down either though.

As I say: The Overton Window is shifting in the right direction.

Owen Jones correctly identifies trans rights as an 'article of faith'. nothing to do with actual, measurable reality

I wonder whether it has ever crossed his mind, just once, that maybe he should campaign for third spaces? I suspect not. The total lack of reason, and unbending faithfulness to ideological articles of faith is all one way.

I note that commentators such as he have now resorted to calling women who want to protect their own spaces, services and sports a " cult". Does he not understand what a cult is? It is the above.

In the last election, I spoiled my ballot (by writing Adult Human Female - I'd love to know how many did the same) because I felt I couldn't vote for Labour or Tory. If I'd been forced to choose it would have been Tory though, even though I think they're pretty useless / awful, due to Labour's absolute commitment to throwing away my daughter's rights.

I am naturally a Labour / left voter. But I have two daughters. Their safety trumps all else and TRA ideology fundamentally threatens their safety. I'm so shocked about the huge safeguarding failures that seem to have largely flown under the radar like Challenor in the Greens. Any political party that doesn't do safeguarding properly is a definite no, and it seems that safeguarding failures and a willingness to throw away women's rights go hand in hand. I think I've probably become a single issue voter.

@Alsohuman

Owen Jones screenshots for you

Let’s face it, the only reason people are still hoping is because the other option is Boris Johnson.

True. What KS needs to understand - and what I think Labour have failed to understand till now - is that they are exactly that; an option, and we have others.

I don't owe Labour my vote because they're the Good Guys. And if they persist in this I will vote the other way.

People are hoping that he will be headed in our favour, but actually from what he has said in the past, this doesn’t look to be the case. That he is now trying to be all things to all people doesn’t mean that he’s moving on this, merely that he’s trying not to piss off anyone who has this issue near the top of their agenda.

There’s nothing to suggest from what he has said that he is biding his time, and everything to suggest that he is trying to keep the lid firmly closed on Schrödinger’s Cat.

Let’s face it, the only reason people are still hoping is because the other option is Boris Johnson.

Agree with RedToothBrush and it's good to see some positivity in your posts!