The "terrifying threat from Labour"

[BigWordAtlas]

I know that Tory HQ staff often come on here and post, and will be doing even more so at the moment.

I also know that Kier Starmer has done a terrible job in gender critical thinking, and members like him, Rayner and Lammy are currently an absolute shitshow when it comes to the rights and protections of women and children. I'm not looking forward to the battle we'll face after the election to reverse the damage that's been done and to protect those rights, and fully bring down all the MRA policies that have formally or informally kicked in over the last few years.

But does anyone else feel like the absolute barrage on here in the last few days about the Holy Bloody Handmaid Terror that will be Labour's government is a bit... overblown? A bit Tory HQ-flavoured? They're absolutely panicking at the moment and will do any kind of astroturfing they can to chip away at votes, particularly in swing constituencies like mine.

No party is perfect, and Labour is currently far from perfect for me and my children. But realistically, I have to vote Labour where I am if I want to keep a Tory candidate out. I hate their gender ID policies, but this nail-bitten tone of total and complete apocalypse (and yes, I've heard posters use that word in this context) feels unhelpful and not really equipping anyone to improve things after the GE. They made me feel extremely anxious until I just hit a wall with the frantic language, and now I'm feeling much more pragmatic and ready to fight with Labour on this stuff, rather than against them and allowing another party to get in.

So AIBU to feel that most of these posts are at least seeded by Tory HQ, rather than actual Labour voters like me?

<hard hat donned>

Melisha once you /one does some light research, you will see how insidious and far reaching stone wall has been..
The good thing is, the conservatives have finally woken up to it, not so other countries and now we are going to be submerged.

I agree with you op. I detest everything to do with gender self id policies but whoever thinks that the Conservatives are truly women friendly needs their head examining! Just look at the state of maternity care for a start! Look at the number of children living beneath the poverty line. Look at the cost of childcare. There are other matters in addition to transgender rhetoric that need addressing that are equally as important; such as young children being fed and adequately housed.

When asked, Starmer said that he doesn't want gender ideology taught in schools.

@Melisha I do want it, see pp which includes this

I’d like legislative change for women and children

Is your avoidance to the question on specific outcome for men with a GRC in female spaces a realisation the current law is not clear even if you feel you understand it better?

It’s hard to answer because Labour have avoided providing clarity

@JaneV1984Madness The conservatives have not touched the legislation in 14 years. They were going to bring in self ID until an uproar led to a backlash. The conservatives are saying whatever they can to win votes. It is literally like the Brexit bus. If the conservatives actually get in, they will do nothing about this issue.

Are you suggesting the current government system works?

5 year wait for a desperately needed hysterectomy here. I don’t call that working.

over 10 years for a diagnosis of endometriosis here.... i can't even start treatment yet due to waiting lists being insane

Oh no! This is such a shame and it's so obvious you're not the only one. Have you ever listened to a political podcast? There are so many to choose from so you can get informed. Women will be giving away our rights because they don't understand. And I say that as someone who isn't voting Tory!

The current system doesn't work. We definitely need an overhaul. The Tories can't be trusted to do it. And Labour can't be trusted to put women only on the waiting lists!

yeah i can imagine a lot of transwomen having endometriosis surgery. or a hysterectomy.

so yeah, the gynae waiting lists will only be female. That includes Transmen. Please give me examples of transwomen or men on gynae waiting lists?

You're being patronising.

It took me 20 years to get diagnosis for endometriosis. 4 years to get seen again by gynae because I had to exhaust all other treatment options, now a 5 year wait for hysterectomy.

Please someone explain to me how the Tories care for women? We are shoved to the side and left to suffer.

Don’t be obtuse. No trans woman is going to affect the wait list for endemetriosis diagnosis and subsequent hysterectomy.

While I find it mind boggling that anyone would vote conservative based purely on the incompetence and corruption of the current government, I do generally understand why people might want to vote for different parties. Obviously.

But I agree OP. This absolute FEAR of Starmer? It's so bizarre. There hasn't been a single suggestion of any of these ridiculous 95% tax rates or whatever. My aunt is old and I love her dearly, but as a lifelong Tory voter, she wants to vote elsewhere but can't bring herself to vote for Starmer. I just can't figure out why she hates him so much.

I think it was The Times profile on him last week that expressed it so well for me - either the reporter, or perhaps a source he was talking to, says something about how Starmer doesn't have any flashy, innovative policies becuase that's not really what he's about. He wants to "fix" things. And I have to say, i think that's why I feel so confident in him - he seems perfectly competent and broadly like a man who lives in the same world as the rest of us. We don't have to agree on everything, I just feel better knowing he won't be a complete moron.

Oh and to the poster quoting that ridiculous "come what may" thing re the 6pm on a friday. Such bollocks. The actual quote was more along the lines of "I try really really hard to ring fence this time and I don't accept regular work events or meetings after 6pm on a friday" which is a prefectly reasonable thing.

There was a raft of reform are racists last week in quite a coordinated attack.

I rank the greens as probably most dangerous out of all of the main parties.

We had a flurry of leaflets today with some very strong Palestinian themes.

Yes, sorry, the latter issues come from patriarchal thinking and social structure, and the gender ideology is just a wonderful [sarcasm] offshoot of that long running shit.

It's a shame that this one part has overshadowed all of the other issues facing women in this election cycle. It's frustrating that whenever some feminists speak about these other issues and highlight them, it gets reduced to one issue. It isn't just one issue, i WISH it was a single issue facing women today but it isn't.

I agree with almost all of what you're saying here, but I'm definitely not asking for low immigration or a sense of national identity. I think the social cohesion and collectivised mentality is what I'd love to see, but you're right, Labour are still trying to find a popular vote in a Thatcherite country so they don't even really have the tools to encourage the collective thinking in this wide and diverse country.

Politicians will only say what are appealing to the people just to get votes. Once they are in power, they just ignore their promises during election.

and the Tories don't exactly have a great history of sticking to their promises.

So what, vote for them for this reason and then they don't do it? and continue to screw women over in all other aspects?

I've felt like this for a long time, but now that it's almost hours until the GE, I just don't think Labour will go this far - they have too many donors and public supporters who don't believe in this ideology (any more).

People have had to eat their words over less, so I hope I'm right to be optimistic on this, and in no way is the fight over, but I'm just not convinced that the second Starmer's in power women will cease existing completely in legal form. I know that so much damage has been done already, and we have to keep battling on undoing those, but I don't think it'll be this simple deletion as his first task stepping into No. 10.

I won't be voting to any. I am just saying

Eddie Izzard 🙁

They've had plenty of time to get their act in gear. Deeds not words.

I don’t get your emoji response

I’m interested to know what happens when a man with a GRC or without one is in a female space under Labour

Do you know?