Local elections and GC feminism thread

For first time in my life voted Tory. Wanted to send a message that this issue matters. Didn't have a Labour candidate.

Spoke to Lib Dem candidate - he agreed with me entirely. Said he wished they'd change their stance but he didn't speak up 'cos there was no point.

Felt a bit sorry for him -he didn't feel confident to raise and argue the issue as a man. I can imagine being faced with militant TRA women like Lynne Featherstone would be disconcerting.

If you write your message in such a way as to make it unclear whether you are voting for someone (eg the X in sex could land on your least worst candidate) it might get read as then you are creating doubt.

@Boiledbeetle I was a trade union activist for a very long time. Was involved with the work for equal pay for work of equal value campaign and helped write a local authorities equality policy when they were quite a new thing. I have just voted Conservative as well. I have spoken to two Labour canvassers in my area they were quite frankly idiots who just didn’t care about women at all. I quite frankly despise a world where new wave feminism seems to think that women being gawped at by men when naked is empowering for the women. Behind all this are men laughing and I think they are not actually the transgender activists that our rights are being rolled back. Women were really starting to get somewhere and men cannot handle it.

There’s going to be a permanent uphill struggle with whoever is in power locally and nationally because all of the parties all shrug off their responsibilities to women and girls. And when in future we do get pro- female gains, we will have to constantly defend them.

Because this isn’t just a fad, it is a men’s sexual rights and sexual access to women and girls campaign. It is just one further logical conclusion of misogyny, which is as old as time.

So I take great cheer and comfort from these threads that so many GC women by whatever route are making their GC views known to candidates and parties and elected representatives, covering all of the main political parties. That, in combination with the GC legal cases, is how we’ll get national-party level policy changes. It’s ultimately how we will get Parliamentary legal changes that will protect and support women and girls.

Women will always have to defend our gains whatever they are, that’s just a given, but we are seriously on the back foot right now in terms of legal protections and so we need to keep pushing for much more within all of the parties.

This sums it up for me too.

Looks depressing if results at GE are also bad for women with gender ideology looming more and more

Haha yes, perfectly described!

The Illiberal Autocrats, perhaps.

Actually very illiberal of them to be imposing TWAW/TMAM beliefs on the entire party, maybe they need a rename.

Well, it'll be worth watching Windsor and Maidenhead. The Conservative leader of the council lost his seat to a 22 year old Lib Dem and the Lib Dems are now the majority party

That's the Lib Dems with the batshit trans policies. I quote from its canvassing guide:
"As a party we are committed to reforming the Gender Recognition Act, banning conversion therapy for all LGBT+ people, and believe that trans women are women and trans men are men."

They are looked at by the counter, so that's one person!

Spoilt ballot papers are looked at to see if there is anything that can be interpreted as a valid vote. So my writing was small, with kellie jay keen against the last person to make sure it was not valid (written in name means invalid) . OH did not vote as the choice was so poor.

It's been announced that Plymouth ballots were spoilt with drawings of trees. So it looks like spoilt votes are being commented on, as long as they're in large enough numbers.
🌳🌲🌳🌴🌳

I disagree with the viewpoint that there is no point writing on the ballot paper. Apart from the candidates, the people at the count tend to be senior members of the political parties. They have two roles. The first is to make sure the people counting the votes (tellers) haven't made any mistakes as they sort the votes by party and then count the sorted votes. The tellers hardly ever make mistakes. They do a great job. The second role is to estimate their party's vote. This is very important in marginal seats as votes are counted by polling district (each constituency or ward is divided into polling districts) and it can be really important to know where to focus their canvassing in future elections because results are never published by polling district so it's their one chance to see support for their party at this level.

Of course ultimately the comments will only end up in the 'spoiled ballots' category but it's a way of communicating to candidates. It's not as useful as being able to tell a canvasser why you won't vote for their party. However, it's better than not voting at all in terms of letting candidates know your views.

Why are people spoiling ballot papers given they will not be read at all by the people putting themselves up for election?

This spoiling is mentioned so often in a very serious way, but I can’t understand why. All it is is not voting isn’t it?

My only choices were 2 from 2 independent candidates and 2 conservatives.

I met both parties reps, including the local MP (for the 1st time in 25 years - not just him but also the previous incumbent). Beyond unusual - it does I think reflect the level of concern at local level about politics and how they are viewed.

I explained to the MP that I was a single issue voter (despite the hugely massive and extremely unwelcome large housing development that his council cronies are trying to waive in - think new town size) on gender critical issues. It was an excellent conversation for over 10 mins. Excellent.

The independent rep who I have known (of) for many years was OK but only interested in the previously mentioned housing development. I explained I was a single issue voter on gender critical matters and single sex spaces. He looked blank. And talked at me again. So effectively I was mansplained on the issues of interest to him.

So I fudged my voting -1 for Tory, 1 for independent. Not great - but both issues are really important. But I am a postal vote - sent yesterday in the constituency - so judging by my post - that won't turn up to the council for another 2 weeks!!

I know loads of GC greens

I took advantage of this by spoiling (woman =adult human female) but also voting so it should get looked at, or is at least more likely to, to see if there is a valid vote.

I don't know the GC creds of the one I voted for but she seems a good thing generally and it is a very tight seat. I didn't want to lose her (she was also the only one to put anything through my door!)

I voted Labour as the candidate knew what a woman is. He is very gc and I've asked his to try to get the message through to K Starmer. He won't get in though as it's safe toryland but at least I didn't have to spoil my ballot.

Thanks @TooBigForMyBoots

Done.

👍👍👍

Good to hear. I wrote a nice short message of gratitude on mine to spoil it:

"I can't vote on a single issue but thank you Tories for understanding the importance of biological sex in laws and education".

I'm in a Tory safe seat for local council and national seats so at least they can enjoy my appreciation, even if it is somewhat backhanded 😂

Agreed. the only ones MPs/councillors pay attention to are the ones where there is a debate about whether it is a valid vote or not. They aren't interested in what's written on a spoilt ballot

Agreed. the only ones MPs/councillors pay attention to are the ones where there is a debate about whether it is a valid vote or not. They aren't interested in what's written on a spoilt ballot

The MP s and councillors don’t read the spoilt votes. Have you ever read a newspaper report about what is written on spoilt ballots, no one cares . They only care about the actual real votes.