Women's rights general conversations - Thread 10

Yes - very good.

Not the same as it's not a women-only caper but there's a great chain of homes for seniors in France called Domitys, I've just looked it up and apparently they have about 150 sites in France plus some in Belgium. The apartments are really nicely laid out, generally have a balcony, and the homes usually have a small swimming pool and sauna. The interesting thing about them is that they rent spare apartments out like hotel rooms. We've stayed in at least three different places in France for a night in one of these residences on our way to somewhere else. The upshot is that the long term residents get to see and interact with new people - including families with their kids, and their dogs, etc. - all the time. They always have a nice atmosphere about them, quite lively and feeling like part of the community rather than a place to stick old people away out of sight. Sorry for the diversion, but this story just brought it to mind, would recommend to anyone passing through France and looking for an overnight stop.

I remember their battles to get it set up - I think there were some discussions about it and the possibility of doing similar on the feminism thread on the Old Place. Nice to see an update.

This sounds interesting:

26 women moved in together — in a housing estate they built themselves.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/a868778c-c411-4370-b188-93c9c9cb4b96?shareToken=1a58e67b8e16848f26aa5cf0346e2c4b

Jeez, that's quite a hard read, it's very sinister, thank goodness sane heads prevailed here. Despite numerous women being arrested previously, at least we have Maya's ET Appeal and the FWS Scotland judgment.

Can't see a thread on this, I'll put it here, Julie Bindel on Iceland

https://archive.ph/FIDhH

Ouch, hope it heals up quickly, @SinnerBoy !

Crap, wrong thread, sorry! Was meant to me the NTT exiles one....

I had a bit of bad news - good news, earlier today. I went to Sainsbury's for some beer, scanned the first bottle and felt a sharp pain, which turned out to be a long shard of glass, in my fingertip.

When the assistant came to approve my purchase, I told her and showed her the shard. She removed it wit blue paper and got the manager to get me a plaster.

He took me to the kiosk and gave me a £10 goodwill card! The beer was £7.50.

Came across this on wikipedia, which has made me think about this in general and Oxford Titman in particular:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coercion

"An attempt may be made to normalize, legitimize, rationalize, deny, or minimize the abusive behavior, or to blame the victim for it".

I do hope so, that tribunal would be so good to watch.

It really does. I bet Naomi and Ben are all over it.

Celebration of women's tennis team:

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2047020512090403055?s=46&t=Jc83RvF4BLuFOsKbzX8RQQ

In case you've not seen the Eurovision petition theaad: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5520587-petition-to-stop-bbc-broadcasting-eurovision-song-that-glamorises-sexual-strangulation-before-the-watershed?

Yes, the times article mentions that because he refused to admit to the rape he was deemed to have not “addressed his crime”.

DH and I were chatting yesterday and he admitted that he doesn’t trust the police any more. If they have lost the trust of us - middle aged, middle class professionals brought up by honest working class parents to respect authority and trust the police implicitly - then there’s little hope really.

There's an article in the Times that summarises this shitshow

https://archive.ph/5y8T7

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/andrew-malkinson-paul-quinn-salford-rape-case-2fl3h6c5r

It was 2007 that DNA was found that strongly suggested they had the wrong man. They did nothing. Leaving a potentially innocent man to have his life wasted behind bars, a victim without justice and a monster free to do as he wished which might have included make more victims

Now detectives are investigating Quinn in connection to three other rapes in Greater Manchester since 2003.

It's just awful the more you think about it. How do you keep your head together for 17 fucking years? Presumably he's have got out earlier if he'd admitted it? Just another thing that comes with the dismal motto, you can't trust the police. Adding to the downwards spiral.

I think the DNA evidence that cleared him was known about for several years before anything was done about it.

All these elements of what did or did not happen in 2003-04 are being investigated by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) and a wider judge-led inquiry.
To date, the IOPC has told five former officers they are under investigation for potential gross misconduct - and one serving officer is being probed for possible misconduct.
One of the former officers is also under criminal investigation for potential misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice.
GMP has confirmed that one of the officers who retired is working on police staff.

I'm sure posters remember the case of Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison, wrongly accused of rape. And now the police have actually found the culprit. At least I'm sure it's a relief to the victim and her family. But what a shambles!

"In 2004, a jury convicted Malkinson solely on the basis of eyewitness accounts."

Successful convictions on rape are so low, and lazy and dishonest police work is the last thing needed. All the more so when they ruin an innocent man's life.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6jq12dmmro

Lives up to the description on his cap 🧢

Oh Noes! Alan Cumming complains that pesky women have ruined feminism! Guess how.....

https://x.com/staylorish/status/2044080302956421477

It helps that she has a lovely speaking voice, too. ISTR from other interviews that she is also a choral singer (as all the best people are, ahem!).