Local elections and sex/gender/trans issues

I find it interesting that people here think the tories are only for white people. Our tory candidate is an Asian woman and the tories have a history of putting women and ethnic minorities in power.

I've never voted tory before, but this isn't something I'd hold against them. Yes there are racist individuals, but then Labour also has its issues. The only 2 female PMs were tories.

I thought local elections have hee haw effect on what happens nationally? My city is a disgrace, those in charge couldn't run a bath however kept getting voted in because of the usual rhetoric of 'SNP=Independence, I'd rather die than vote Tory!' stance. Then the same people moan about the state of the city.

I couldn't vote Tory in a general election but surely we should be voting for who is going to do best by our city (and for GC folk like myself)?

Some of the aggressive posts re how other people vote put me off even more.

PLEASE DON'T VOTE TORY 🙏🙏🙏

You could spoil your vote.
"Respect my sex if you want my X"

The candidates will know why they didn't get your vote. It's read out to them. Not recorded officially but they will be aware.

This thread has made me decide to vote Tory. I never thought I’d say that.

If you honestly believe the Tories are going to actually do anything to help women I’ve got a fucking bridge to sell you.
I have to try and vote to get the Tories out.
As PP said, Johnson’s fucking racist and the Tories hate the poor- so what women are they interested in protecting the rights of?

I’m confused, this is all happening already under a Tory government why do you think continuing to vote for them would change this?

Do you think Boris Johnson, a serial philanderer cares about womens rights? and it’s not as if it stops at Boris Johnson.

just this past month there’s been reports on watching porn in the house of commons amp.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/29/tory-mp-neil-parish-faces-investigation-over-claims-of-watching-pornography-in-commons

or giving out sexist of the year awards amp.lbc.co.uk/news/sexist-award-downing-street-christmas-party/

or inews.co.uk/news/politics/mp-reveal-tory-angela-rayners-legs-1592447

also as someone else has pointed out Boris Johnson has referred to Muslim women as letterboxes and the Conservatives in general have a terrible track record regarding racism. I’m baffled why you would think they are better than any of the other current parties on womens rights????

Not Labour due to women rights issue (and other) but for this election that issue

will decide at polling station re who else

@TooBigForMyBoots
Vote Conservative. The UK is absolutely fucked and central Conservative government punish Labour councils.

I did wonder if it’s worth voting Tory solely for this reason. That they would get more funding than a Labour council.

@NitroNine well put.

So polling stations have just opened. Good luck, women. Another day, another shitty decision to make about our least worst options (that we apparently should feel lucky to have in 2022.)

"Then again if you're looking at it from an 'I'm cool with Tories standing up for women who look like me, couldnt cate less about others that dont look like me' stance then it doesn't matter much"

So I'm really picking up that woman = Labour voter

Ironic considering that the Greens, Lib Dems and have both had at least one female party leader and Conservatives two female PMs

There is NOTHING more offensively sexist than attempting to erase the very concept of womanhood. Nothing.

I found it ironic in the extreme that Angela Raynor was deeply offended by sexism in that whole disgusting MoS article and there were debates on whether misogyny should be a crime. Lol you don't support the very concept of womanhood so where is the sexism? Based on what??!!

I imagine that suffrage campaigners would be far more concerned with the fact so many women feel they lack adequate representation over 100 years after the first women in the UK gained the right to vote; Constance Markievicz was elected; & Nancy Astor was elected & took her seat. We’re just over 6 years away from the centenary of the Equal Franchise Act (it was passed in July) too.

Spoiling one’s ballot is making use of one’s vote. It’s not something that should be done lightly, obviously, but you’re not obliged to choose the least-worst candidate Because The Suffragettes or any other reason. The point was to be able to freely & fully participate in the democratic process - voting for a candidate simply to have voted for someone isn’t a responsible use of your vote. Spoiling your ballot (there’s information available here about doing so) is a form of [political] protest & it should not be confused with not voting.

It really is so tiresomely sexist that people try to browbeat women into political participation by invoking suffrage campaigners. Actually, when people do this it always seems to be the suffragettes they mention, which is of course not without irony, but that’s not really the point… Nobody makes similar demands of men in the name of the Chartists or the Reform League - apparently we’re somehow still stuck in a world where the vote belongs to men as a part of the natural order; & women must be eternally grateful the franchise has been extended to them.

The Tories will say anything to get gullible women who believe they have integrity when it comes to womens' rights, to vote for them.

& Women who know they're a right wing party so of course womens' right wont feature high on their agenda, but vote for the. anyway

Womens' rights aren't a priority for Tories now, and won't be just because you vote for them.

Then again if you're looking at it from an 'I'm cool with Tories standing up for women who look like me, couldnt cate less about others that dont look like me' stance then it doesn't matter much

Just vote for the sleaze party because you want to, no need for the entirely non-convincing explanations as to why you think Tories will give a single shiny shit about protecting womens' rights much beyond polling day and the lead-up

The Tory party don't actually support any women. The notion that you're supporting women in any way by voting for them is ridiculous.

I live in a safe Labour seat so I know it wont affect the outcome. I've spoilt my ballot for the first time writing 'Respect My Sex' on it. Someone might see it who knows? I couldn't just not vote, it seemed the best option.

Vote Conservative. The UK is absolutely fucked and central Conservative government punish Labour councils.

The Tories don’t give a flying fuck about women’s rights - the lot of the average woman has gone down the toilet under their governments - Labour have just handed them an incredible opportunity to look like the adult in the room on gender issues and they’re capitalizing on that. I’m in the same position as the OP - generally on the left and politically homeless - but I’m under no illusion that the Conservatives will protect our sex-based rights - far from it (as a pp pointed out, this government has effectively legalized rape).

I’d sooner spoil my ballot, which makes me incredibly sad as it’s something I never thought I’d do.

Anything to get the Tories out. Just vote for a better world. The rest will come

oh tricky

I am fully GC but it will be a cold day in hell before I can stomach lending any sort of support to this Tory government.

I know it’s local elections, but nonetheless Tory success in them will be seen by many as a vote of confidence in Boris et al. Nobody will think it’s because of sex based rights.

I think for me it’ll have to be a “Respect my Sex” spoiled ballot. Heartening to know the candidates get to know the reasons for spoiled ballots. Seems a much clearer way to send the message than voting Tory.

@FemaleAndLearning "If Labour can change their attitudes and policies by the general election they will get my vote"

Of course you have the right..but....

Would you really trust that the change in stance would be anything more than paper thin and wouldn't immediately be crumpled up and put in the bin the second they were installed in downing street?

There are some things that are so far gone that you can't really turn around from them with any true conviction. Your female party members not being able to answer whether a woman has a cervix or a penis and actively supporting men in womens safe places, is pretty far gone. It's bonkers, naked emperor, Alice down the Rabbit hole stuff.

One wonders what other kooky ideologies they wouldn't embrace in the name of....well...progress for progress sake and the holy Sacrament of virtue signalling. Would you not feel afraid the second they were elected?

The Conservatives meanwhile, are doing the norms, taking away funding from places and people that need it most, the disabled like me etc the odd bit of overt but casual racism. It's bloody grim depending on what part of the social scale you weigh, but, you broadly know what you're getting. Add sleaze on the side.

Everyone else except the fringe parties has lost grip on reality completely.

How could you ever trust them again?. I mean Trust, as opposed to actually liking.

I am in a ward whose boundaries have changed . Last year's Plaid Cymru candidate was strongly of the opinion that transwomen are women (as are the other party candidates - apart from the Tory person) .
I am politically homeless ; I spoiled my ballot paper last time as I could not bear to settle for the 'least worst' .
He is not running this year but his replacement is coming round tomorrow for Q&A on the doorstep . She will be pretty much the first candidate this village has seen this time .

It's the local council elections not a general election.

Your vote tomorrow is about electing who gets to decide about how your council tax is spent, which potholes get filled, which children and families services get funded, what criteria the local DV refuge has to meet to get council funding, what the bus services are like, whether the streetlights - if you have them - get turned on all night and whether your elderly relatives get decent care services in your area.

They are so much more important in my view than the general election.

I couldn't give a flying fuck what party someone comes from. I will always give my vote to whichever local candidate seems the most honest, decent, able and sensible regardless of what colour ribbon they are wearing.

Any candidate who tells me that the emperor is wearing clothes will not get my vote.

I’m politically homeless. I asked the poor young sod who came round with a Labour flyer a few months ago about sex-based protections and he said (promise this is near-as-dammit verbatim as I WhatsApped it in disbelief to my family almost immediately)

“That’s a bit above my paygrade to discuss… this is the local council, it’s fixing potholes and things.”

Labour, you can get in the bin. Signed, a previously staunch Labour supporter.