Mumsnet Webchat about women/mums in politics with Stella Creasy and Caroline Nokes - 1st February

Why on earth was my post deleted?! This is getting out of hand.

It was 'Look how I identify with you. Did I mention I have a baby, like you. Ohhh a baby. My identity is purely gaga googoo'.

Its the whole, MN should only do prams mentality in a nutshell.

Its was cringeworthy and utterly, utterly patronising.

You don't exactly attract women to parliament, by doing that. You just think 'what an UTTER prat'.

Women want people to be inspired by and to be thought of in professional terms, as more than just 'a person who gives birth' and which is what it reduced us to instead of having our own independent identities.

If we are to be judged by our merits rather than our biological reproductive qualities, its hardly a progressive step.

'Wiggly baby' is a term which is even worse than simply baby, because it kind of infantilises women by the use of language.

I noticed it was used multiple times, and it grated, because it looked scripted, almost as if she had notes saying 'emphasis how you have the baby with you RIGHT NOW'. I'm glad others also picked up on it.

Still trending.

I forget who, but some smarty pants said "women have all the rights they need - the right to remain silent"

I thought Stella Creasy and Caroline Nokes came across well. I also thought it didn’t reflect well on MN. I suppose MN could have done a better job of moderating it to help the GC side

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jul/31/eddie-izzard-becoming-an-mp-is-still-my-goal

Eddie does plan to stand for election, for Labour. Stella must know this and it was a perfectly valid question.

MimmyMumsnet 🤣🤣

That's inspired!

Both of them seemed to significantly misjudge their audience. Creasy kept banging on about having to hold her baby, I think assuming that we were all mothers of small children and would therefore sympathise. Now, as it happens, I have tried to work while simultaneously caring for a baby - not very successfully, because it's bloody impossible - but the baby stage is now a distant memory for me. I don't know the personal situation of every woman taking part in yesterday's chat, but I suspect that most of us have older children, and some have no children at all. Also, as a PP pointed out, a lot of us have professional jobs. So we view a web discussion like yesterday's not as a time to say "Gosh, it's so difficult being a mum! If only we had more opportunity to take part in public life" and more an opportunity to raise really serious issues about a systematic attack on women's rights. Some of us spend a lot of our time reading, discussing, researching and campaigning on this issue. We therefore hoped yesterday would give us the opportunity to have an intelligent debate about it. But Nokes and Creasy were simply unprepared - and apparently angry because we wouldn't play ball.

Covid brain and homeschooling very healthy kids hasn't enabled be to fully immerse and follow the discussion; I redact most of this:

They're watching what's happened to Rosie et al.

(All) refuse for career purposes.

Be kind? No. Just keep slogging on. Men are not women and women are allowed to say so.

And keep on listening to what politicians say and vote accordingly.

Apparently Stella would support Eddie being on an all female shirt list. So why didn't she directly defend this position? Infuriating.

Excellent response from Glinner. I thought he asked the question because Eddie has spoken about standing for election and it was disingenuous of Stella to deflect and then try to make it seem like Ginner was responsible for abuse she said she had received.

Blistering reply to Creasy from Glinner here. I also want to know the answers.

grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/my-response-to-stella-creasy?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzk0Mzc1MSwicG9zdF9pZCI6NDgwNTQxMjgsIl8iOiJhczc5ZSIsImlhdCI6MTY0Mzc5MTA4MCwiZXhwIjoxNjQzNzk0NjgwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNjczMDkiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.lU1kdtGK4lSWJzOVOfuS5NcT5C8y5IrE3h3Kil4F1zA

I don't know how Posie says she's not a radfem; she agrees with many core principles. Eg women being supported to look after their babies!

Mimmybirthingfury still ranting about how awful we are.

Perhaps she could set up MimmyMumsnet? I'm sure it would be a roaring success.

I am hoping that politicians read that webchat and see how angry women are about losing their rights and the impact on dignity, safety and equality. This is not just a niche issue that ‘never comes up on the doorstep’. I should imagine politicians now have a difficult choice - they want to be on Mumsnet for its access to female voters but don’t want to answer questions on this issue.

This is an issue that crosses party lines. My SIL don’t agree on anything politically and have many opposing views. This is the ONE issue we agree on and in her words, ‘Be Kind? Fuck that’.

I wonder when politicians will get that if you close down debate or refuse to acknowledge issues, you will create anger.

To Stella Creasey and Caroline Noakes.....We are the electorate, and if our views don't count, why should we be paying your salaries and why should we support you.

You can no longer pretend that progressive is a good and fair thing for women

Bosky for pm.

Sadly I think they're like us. I tweet from behind a fake name. I'm here incognito.

They're watching what's happened to Rosie et al.

I don't like to think that they can't be clever enough to see it. I know some Cant. And some refuse for career purposes. (KB)

Posie is going through the whole . She's gloriously furious.

Mimmybirthingfury

Only just caught up with this as electricity cut out at the crucial moment. I would vote for anyone who was involved yesterday in commenting...so much knowledge here, but can completely understand why women would want to avoid politics if this is the level of “debate”. All the points made were valid and necessary and it was unnecessary to delete them. Although it may have been a thousand watching, there were many thousands cheering on and wishing the two politicians would just answer the question. They could have moved on so easily .... However having seen and heard CN in action interrogating eminent women compared to the kindness shown to the men participating I have no doubt that getting women into parliament is not what she is interested in.
Thank you to all involved. I think we know where we are.

Womenphobia seems more apt for the name-calling that is happening to MN posters.

TRAs= MN is full of radicalised women!

Isn't that quite a transphobic assumption?