Jess Philips

[Iwasjustasking]

God I adore this woman! She is amazing!

If you are a bloke and self-identify as a woman then rape a real woman the Rozzers record you as a female rapist

Anyone else see the numerous problems with this sort of thing.

Why do people assume that those who have issue with Labour's (loud and often repeated) TWAW stance, most significantly re the housing of convicted rapists in women's prisons (Lisa Mandy has been emphatic on this) are therefore Tory voters?

I have never voted Tory. I'm a life long public sector worker as are my parents and most people I spend most of my time with. I WANT to vote Labour. But I want to feel they understand me, my concerns and values. That they want my vote and to take me with them. They have instead repeatedly told women like me to leave the party (so I did) and insulted and patronised re concerns related to women's rights. Labour MPs like Ben Bradshaw tweeted in support of the Sussex students when they terrorised Dr Stock, and castigated the BBC re their 'cotton ceiling' expose. John McDonald applauding that nonsense from Ellie May O Hagan about no one knowing how people are defined ..

There's a huge gulf between not wanting to put my tick in a box next to people who not only fail to see my point of view on the this but loudly deride and insult that pov, and who have promised to facilitate a worsening of the things in concerned about ...and me voting Tory. And it's ok for me and others like me to say so, and wish it were different.

It's absolutely not marginal from where I stand and I don't live under a rock. It massively impacts professionals working in health, education, sport, law, prisons, care, emergency services, youth work, armed forces...it is discussed in the MSM every single day....

The responsibility is not on the electorate to care less about their priority issues but for politicians to listen to and advocate for the electorate.

So who are you going to vote for?

I wouldn’t, I find her rude, annoying and disingenuous.

This 100%. If you are a feminist and care about women, how do you vote Tory? Are you more arsed about the trans debate than you are about women in poverty and what austerity (which is shown to hit women the hardest) has done to them? Do you care about the rights of migrant women, disabled women, queer women? I don’t understand how people can say they’re voting tory because they “know what a woman is” and think they’re a champion of women’s rights all whilst completely oblivious ignorant to what the Conservative party has done to various demographics of biological women. I understand the GC viewpoint and the arguments around it, but in real life I don’t care if a trans woman is on the same ward as me in hospital, so long as I can actually be seen by a doctor. I don’t care if a trans woman is in the women’s toilets if it means I can heat my house and afford to feed my family. I literally could not care less about trans women, I care about surviving and the most vulnerable in society being supported by a competent government.

PS I love Brooke Davis

Oh god so much this. Especially the last part.

I wish I knew @Pumperthepumper . I have contacted my nearest labour MPs, my local party (over and over), tweeted Labour MPs and KS and begged them to listen. To make it possible for me to feel that if they were in power they would give me an ear and consider my pov. I would like to vote Labour.

Our constituency is true blue, our MP could be a road cone with a blue rosette (probably is as I don't think he's ever been seen here) so none of the others try v hard. Am hoping there will be an independent...

Ah well. Guess it’d be another Tory government then.

Oh you've shown me.

You can call the class of people who do all of the caring for children "women" or you can call them 'people with uteruses" or fucking purple people eaters. But they're still the same group of people! They will still suffer when you've dismantled the NHS. They will still be the ones who suffer pregnancy, rape, abortion and who disproportionately suffer under benefits sanctions.

If Labour won, all of those things would be cared for. Would they struggle to define woman? Possibly, but all "people" regardless of their sex (or gender identity) would be better off than under the Tories. They will not attempt to weaken abortion rights or starve children.

We effectively already have self ID. Brought about under a decade of conservative governments.

This has led to sexual assault and violence against women. I would never diminish that. I would say though that it has been cumulatively less disastrous than everything else they have done.

No. Thank you for explaining this to us man. We might never have figured it out.🤔

So @Pumperthepumper do you think we should just vote Labour? Regardless?

That there is no dilemma in voting postively for something that fills you with horror and dread, that you know will happen and quickly and that you know you will have absolutely no way of influencing or speaking up and being heard on?

For the same reason that I have never voted Tory, I can not currently vote Labour. I can hold my head high and say "I didn't ask for this, they do not represent me."

This is Labour's failure, not mine. They have not communicated anything very much re their actual policies as far as I can see (I'm pretty engaged, literate, interested...) But they've been v clear on this issue. They've gone out of their way to stand up for TWAW and to do down and castigate those who have said, "I'm not sure about that actually." Their choice.

I'm politically homeless. I'm unrepresented and worse than that, I'm unacknowledged, unlistened to and deemed unimportant. Again, that is not my failure.

But it’s not about trans people. Don’t you see that? It’s the existential question of women’s rights and protections. Once you define women to include men we lose all that. And then when biological women start to get hurt (although that’s already happening) it’s too late to put the genie back in the bottle. Yes the tories are bad but they haven’t publicly written off women like labour have. You say you don't care if a man is in the same toilet or hospital ward but lots of vulnerable and fragile women (and strong women too) have damn good reasons for not wanting that. And are fearful of it. Your ‘wants’ are third-world, basic requirements. Don’t wish that on me and my daughters.

She’s one of those people who actually talks at you, and doesn’t listen to the answers or anything others have to say. It’s like she’s got all this stuff in her head that she wants to say, and just interrupts and talks over people. In government you have to have the ability to listen as well as getting your point over. And she doesn’t.

Yes I do. I think the conservatives have caused much, much more damage to the country than self ID. I think you’d be mad to risk yet another Tory government based on their obvious and sustained hatred of women, the disabled and the poor.

But it doesn’t matter what I think. It’s how you square the circle of not getting exactly what you want/knowing more damage is coming elsewhere.

She does that a lot, I feel like she has contempt for anyone who challenges her, like she needs to win a conversation/ shut people up. I think her communication skills and attitude are poor.

If I was a bloke going around raping women, the "Rozzers" recording me as female is the least of my problems.

I'm being facetious, I think I understand what you are asking.
To be honest, in my opinion, under Tory government, women are having to face other issues, before they consider transgender issues;

1. Police - the police force have been decimated, do they have the officers to investigate rape cases fully?
2. NHS - the NHS has been decimated, are women getting the best treatment, not only for physical injuries, but mental health support?
3. CPS/Courts - at the current rate of rape convictions, it is very unlikely women will see justice. It is unlikely the rapist will be charged, never mind convicted.
4. Last effects - due to cuts in benefits, harsh criteria for benefits, and quite frankly the horrendous attitude Tories have towards people who need financial assistance - if you need time off to reçover and therefore need financial support, the chances of getting this is help is next to zero.

I think that's what other posters are saying. Whilst, is is right to be worried about self ID issues, under this government, women face bigger issues.

I understand people don’t want that, that’s why I’m saying I understand the GC argument and the reasons people want spaces that are just for biological women. If there weren’t good reasons for such spaces, they would’ve never been invented. My wants are basic requirements, but they’re not being met are they? You can’t get a doctors appointment. Yesterday someone died in an ambulance outside a hospital because there was no beds available. 1 in 7 of us are skipping meals because they can’t afford to feed themselves and heat their homes. Interest rates are through the roof. Women are more likely to be in poverty - if you care about women’s rights, how can you vote for a government that increases the number of women in poverty? And I’m not saying every GC person votes tory. I just don’t understand the ones that do. If you care about disabled women, how do people genuinely justify voting tory? The definition of a woman is important and something that should be protected, but if we don’t vote out this government, there’ll be no planet left for those women to live on anyway.

I like some of the things Jess says/does and not others. Same way for many politicians.

Many are so furious with Labour's stance on women's rights because they are normally Labour voters and members. Not tory voters. They want to vote Labour but are terrified of the consequences. Don't be fooled that this is a fringe issue. The impacts are massive.

They see the leadership stumbling over really simple questions about women not because they don't understand but because they are terrified. Terrified of saying the wrong thing even if it's painfully obvious what the answer should be. It makes them look like idiots or liars.

The Labour Party isn't winning votes here , the tories are losing them. Considering the last few years of a tory shitshow, Labour should have been romping home constantly but they haven't.

It's two years until the next election, a decent tory prime minister could still pull it all back in time for yet another tory government. Particularly if they use this 'fringe issue' to their advantage which could very easily be done.

I want Labour to be better so they can win.

I'm trying to avoid deletion but you seem to be spectacularly missing the point.

Do you really believe human women disappear if you come up with silly names for them?

Look even if Labour changes the word 'woman' to Glu°√•fg they will still protect abortion rights. They will still protect benefits which will disproportionately help the group of people currently known as Glu°√•fg and previously called women. They may extend abortion rights to men which feels an admittedly pointless exercise. But fuck it, it won't actually hurt women

You see?

In a Tory world they know what a woman is because they want to keep it pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen (or taking the fall for a previously shitter male PM).

A handmaid's tale situation where we can all define women but not keep feeding our children isn't a fucking feminist utopia.

Also I don't believe for a second Jess doesn't know what a woman is. If you're going to dislike her for something dislike her for being politiciany and dishonest on this subject. She's not stupid though

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz
Yes, Rachel does sound like Kate Middleton, and she looks like a fair version of Claudia Winkleman with that annoying fringe, she should get a hair cut.

Agree, the fringe was infuriating

How depressing that some people think that “women” are a marginal issue. Despicable really.

I don’t rate her at all. But that’s fine as she doesn’t value me. I’m just a woman.

And you are fine with this?

Jess Phillips obviously knows her stuff though, and I think she’d be great to have as my MP - she seems as though she’d be like a dog with a bone if you had a problem and wouldn’t let it drop til she’d sorted it for you. But she’s so smug and condescending, always interrupting people that it really turns me away from her. She’s not going to convince anyone to agree with what she’s saying when she talks to them like that and doesn’t let them get a word in edgeways. She’s very showboat-y and sound bite-y. She needs to learn how to bite her tongue and actually listen to what someone’s saying, rather than shouting over them with quick jibes.