Truely I am so sorry about that. It's such an awful episode.
For myself, I had an exceptional MP, who really has been outspoken. I'm proud of her.
So, for me, it was far easier.
And things are changing.
I'll be honest - I'd like more change. I'd like a clear signal that the culture has changed. That there is more listening. That there is less imposing 'correct' opinions on people.
You can't do that.
It doesn't work.
And that goes for asking women to give up rights.
You can't impose that. There will have to be shifting and safeguarding.
Try and impose, not reach for solutions where the majority of people feel comfortable, and people just won't vote for you.
It's that simple.
People can't be asked to give their vote under sufferance, or bullied into it. People have the right to feel great when they vote.
The right to know that they are voting for more: more opportunities, a better life experience, a better existence - for others and for themselves.
It should make you feel happy and optimistic.
That is what I am working for.
So are many, many others like me.
And it is changing. It really is.
As I said, I, personally, could do with faster change. But I do see the differences.
My hope is for a real shift, across the Party, to understanding that you can't impose correct views - you have to argue for, persuade, and tolerate difference until consent/consensus/compromise is achieved.
I see that in my own patch of Labour - and I see it spreading from the top down, too.
I want more of that.
But, generally, I really am - still, after all these years - in love with the underlying vision of Labour: that it is possible to go forwards together, that it is possible to build a society that is filled with opportunity, with increased wealth, with increased health and longevity, with interest and pleasure and excitement for all of us, not just those who were lucky at birth.
And we can do that together, not just in a mad, fear-based scramble to try and grab as much as your own two hands can hold.
In fact, I think it's a way of living for society that is far more likely to result in innovation, wealth and health than any other approach - because you open up opportunities for people, and there are just more people building that exciting future.
I'm just optimistic.
I don't really like doom-filled narratives of fear. I don't like being told - either by the Right or the Left - that we humans are wicked, innately selfish, inherently corrupt and bad.
I think that's daft.
We came together to build the NHS, a free state education system ... loads of things.
We're capable of this. We're capable of more.
And we need to come together and crack in with more amazing things we could do - together. Tackling climate change. Re-energising the public sector. Investing in social care. Really getting to grips with sharing out the burden of care - because being cared for is something we all deserve, when old, young, or unwell. And we should choose, as a society, to take responsibility for that care.
So, those are Labour values. They're my values. And I strongly suspect they are values lots and lots of other people name as their values, too.
I just think this is a founding belief of Labour. It's not unique to Lsbour. But it's built in. And it really matters. 🤷♀️