To be fucking furious that a Tory MP just prevented upskirting being made a criminal offence?

[gracielacey]

Tory MP Christopher Chope has just singlehandedly prevented the passing of the private members bill supported by the government that would have made upskirting a sexual offence, by shouting Object.

Can I urge you all to leave a message on his parliamentary office answerphone and email him to ask why he thinks men should be entitled to photograph women's genitalia?

(Post Edited by MNHQ)

I'm literally in tears about the blatant disregard that women still face, how on earth could anyone object to this bill? At least this thread has given me hope.

gracielacey I think there are more kilts in Scotland :) So there it affects more men and they pass the law, here it's seen as legislation that benefits women so blocked.

If Chope wore a kilt you can bet he wouldnt have blocked it.

670
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/216290

I've just signed the petition and shared it on Facebook. I'm about to pen my email.

Could we get the grey area that allows people to be photographed in their underwear or nightwear in public places, even if they are there because of an emergency evacuation, closed off too while they're about it?

It's high time the Conservative Party showed they are a modern party of the right / centre right and got rid of a few talentless misogynist MPs who keep shaming them

True, but you don't have to look far to find talentless, outdated and misogynist MPs in Labour and other parties too.

Signed and shared on Facebook

I thought he blocked it as he wanted a proper debate on the subject

I wouldn't have thought there was much to debate though.

I just read this on BBC news

upskirting victim Gina Martin - who started the campaign for the new law - said he had told her he objected to it "on principle" because it "wasn't debated"

She also told the BBC that he said he "wasn't really sure" what upskirting was

So he didn't even know what it was he was blocking.

I understand what he means about proper debating - but surely there are some things which only need minimal discussion.

Moon, yes, I read that he often does this to PMBs, but I also read that he doesn't do it for all of them. (I haven't looked at the primary data for this though.)

It's just so frustrating that something so important could be held up by a single MP, whatever his motivation was. I didn't even realise that this wasn't illegal until recently.

What is wrong with some people?

It says on the bbc link quite clearly why he said “object” as he does it every Friday and has done for 20 years. Annoying but not personal I think.
Scottish law got changed as it affected men too probably. 🙄

I wouldn't have thought there was much to debate though.

But he makes a habit of objecting to PMBs on principal because they are not debated properly (as he sees it) in parliament. That is the reason he gave for objecting this time, as it is each time he does this, which is all the time.

Poor show.
I've emailed him, my MP and the PM.
Signed the petition too.
Absolutely raging.
I was upskirted and it's devastatingly humiliating.

I think we need to keep repeating that this was a second reading. There is still further opportunity for debate and amendment - if needed. What he has ignored is that this is a simple bill, based on legislation already working elsewhere.

If he had looked at the legislation and was making sensible arguments about the need for it to be amended that would be legitimate, blocking something he cant be bothered to understand is not.

I've signed the petition and will email his office.

Chope does this all the time, on “principle”.

Not many MPs were there because Friday is usually a constituency day and most prefer to spend the day with their constituents instead of attending PMBs which rarely progress. Because the govt had indicated that they supported this one, most would have assumed it would get nodded through to the next stage so wouldn’t have sacrificed a constituency day for it, however much they supported it.

I remember the PMB to ratify the Istanbul Convention on violence against women and girls. To enable it to progress to the next stage, it had to get at least 100 votes and there was a big campaign to get as many female MPs as possible to the Chamber on that Friday. It passed by [104 votes to 3. The 3 were Chope, Davies and Philip Hollobone. Why, why, why would you vote against legislation to prevent violence against women and girls?

Thanks for posting this. I had seen the news and was angry / disappointed / but seeing his email address made me take the time to write and complain, rather than just chunter inwardly. What a disgrace of a man. Self promoting, self important, to the detriment of others. What a dick.

Why did he vote against Finns law?

Why did he vote against Finns law?

For the same reason he voted against the up skirting law - he votes against PMBs out of principal.

I was shocked to hear that there wasn't a specific law already in place for upskirting. Crazy! Can't believe anyone would object to this. Hope sense prevails and a law is put in place eventually. It should also cover the upskirt photos taken by media photographers of female celebrities getting into cars. Has anyone on here been a victim of upskirting?

Also [email protected]

He does not object to all PMBs - he’s even introduced some himsel and voted in favour of others. I just don’t understand why this lie that he's acting out of principle keeps being repeated

Wouldn't it be some kind of poetic justis if someone sat on the train with him and talked at him about upskirting and what it actually means constantly so much so that he missed his stop every Friday.

Why do people think the Bill wouldn't be properly scrutinised just because it's a PMB?

What do people think the Committees do?

Learn how Parliament works!

I’ve emailed and signed the petition. Tomorrow I will write to my MP to request she attend the next hearing of this bill and that she request other members of her party do the same, to avoid any argument not enough MPs are present and to further support the bill.

Signed the petition