Webchat with Ed Davey, Lib Dem leadership candidate, on Tuesday 18 June at 1.30pm

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Ed Davey MP - one of the Lib Dem leadership candidates, along with Jo Swinson MP. Ed will be joining us on Tuesday 18 June at 1.30pm.

Ed worked as an economics adviser to Paddy Ashdown, before winning his seat of Kingston and Surbiton in 1997.

In the Coalition Government, Ed began as a Business Minister, laying the groundwork for Shared Parental Leave under Vince Cable. Ed then became the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in 2012 under the Coalition Government, where he says he quadrupled renewable power and made the UK the world leader in offshore wind. After losing his seat in 2015, Ed campaigned for Remain in the EU referendum, and re-gained his seat in 2017.

Since then, Ed says he “has been fighting for us to keep our place in Europe, pushing for a proper response to the Climate Emergency, and helping Liberal Democrats get elected across the country”. For more information about his leadership, please take a look at his campaign website.

Please do join us on Tuesday at 1.30pm, but if you can’t make it on the day, leave your question for Ed on this thread in advance.

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is overwhelmingly dominating a discussion with a guest, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

And finally, we’re hoping to confirm a date with Jo Swinson for a webchat too - we’ll let you know when we do.

Many thanks
MNHQ

Ed,

You've just proven that you care naught for women's concerns. Your party will not get my vote.

Ed, thanks for clarifying your position.

Sex segregated spaces exist in law to protect females against male violence.

Given your stance, how would you seek to balance inclusion of trans women into sex segregated spaces with the need to prevent predatory males from accessing those spaces to seek to do harm to females?

Lets face it women continue to suffer discrimination - dismissal due to pregnancy, low conviction rates of rape, period poverty, forced marriage, FGM. Surely we need to unite not divide in the face of inequality?

Going forward how do you expect to be able to address those things if the biological classification of female is emptied of all meaning and it's 'transphobic' to question that?

I'm ashamed that I ONCE voted for the LibDems - never again. Women (adult human females) are not welcome in your party. Shame on you for not caring for our safety, privacy and dignity.
And STILL no definition of "woman".

I’m out. Thanks for dismissing us Ed.

Womens rights are not yours to give away.

Maria Maclachlan was forced to commit perjury by a judge who insisted she call her male attacker a woman.
If we cannot name ourselves or the people who have assaulted us then you have effectively removed our basic human rights and silenced us.

@pearlkent One of my concerns also is about Ed's lack of action locally on one of his Councillors allegedly attacking a child.. what also about the safety of children?

I’m out. Thanks for dismissing us Ed.

Quite!

'Wimmin shut up' telegraphed loud and clear.

Thanks for confirming what I already thought
You don't want Women's votes

Well, at least he’s honest. He considers the views of the majority on gender issues to be bigoted and is not interested in hearing our views or attempting to understand. As per previous messages from the Liberal Democrats, women can line up under the bus.

@Songsofexperience

Good morning and thanks for taking part! What's your plan A to stop a no deal brexit and do you have a plan B (or even a plan C)?

Plan A is to continue our cross-party work. Ideally for a new law to prevent No Deal happening, without a vote in Parliament, given there's a clear majority in Parliament against No deal. And measures to stop a No Deal Leave Tory Prime Minister proroguing Parliament - sending MPs home - and allowing the No Deal Brexit clock to run down. I'm in discussions with a number of people in other parties to look at each and every other way to stop No Deal, as it would be such a disaster for so many families across our country. Especially the most vulnerable.

Plan B or maybe it's Plan C! would be a vote of no confidence that didn't lead to a General Election, but led instead to a government of national unity. See my previous answer.

@NoBaggyPants

Looking at your voting record, you have:

Generally voted for reducing housing benefit for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms (which Labour describe as the "bedroom tax")
Consistently voted against raising welfare benefits at least in line with prices
Almost always voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability
Consistently voted for making local councils responsible for helping those in financial need afford their council tax and reducing the amount spent on such support
Almost always voted for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits

Added to that you voted to treble student fees to £9,000, and you've consistently voted against tax increases for the wealthiest, whilst doing nothing to help those on lower incomes.

Beyond Brexit, what do you have to offer anyone on low and middle incomes? Because your record to date is atrocious.

We took some decisions which were difficult and I wish we hadn't had to. But Lib Dems stopped the Tories doing far worse. Moreover, you missed in your list many positive policies we achieved for people on low and middle incomes. Taking millions of low paid people out of income tax altogether. Increases to the national minimum wage. A much improved state pension. As Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change I was the first cabinet minister to bring in the London living wage for everyone in my department, which in practice meant not the civil servants but the people cleaning our offices, keeping them secure and providing catering services. Going forward I am a strong believer in the London living wage and on a much fairer tax system. I am also a strong believer in a massive council house building programme. I am fed up of large amounts of housing benefit going to too many landlords who provide poor quality accommodation I think it's time we reviewed our whole housing subsidy system to enable many more quality, affordable social homes to be built.

Another man who has no idea of women's reality.

Well. Not sure who I can vote for now. What with me being the old fashioned kind of woman (biologically speaking, not ideologically speaking). But, hey. Room for Aimee Challenor so that's OK.

@ginghambox

Why are you trying to disrespect a legitimate vote to leave the eu.

I'm not. But it cannot be undemocratic to seek the opinion of the British people again. One can only stop Brexit, as I want to, by respecting democracy. People clearly should have far more information about what Brexit means or doesn't mean, than they did in 2016. And many opinion polls show a large number of people have changed their minds.

@Caffeinesolution

Thanks for doing this webchat, I'm looking forward to reading your answers later. Jo Swinson has this morning talked about doing electoral pacts with other parties to maximise the anti-Brexit vote. You seem to have been more hostile to the idea of working with other parties. Is this a big difference between you and Jo?

I've not noticed any difference between Jo and me on this. In hustings she has talked just as I have about being against electoral deals and pacts. But she and I agree on the need for cross-party working in parliament. She and I agree on a less tribal approach to politics. And all Liberal Democrats who believe in electoral reform recognise that that means parties will need to work together more in the future. So unless I've missed something we're on the same page.

good to see that ED bothered to mug up on what is probably the most pressing issue for MNers.
Well done for telling women what they should think about the erasure of their rights.
Jesus Christ. What a shit show.
Another woman (adult human female) who won't be voting Lib Dem.

@okaasansan

Do you think more MPs will follow Chuka in joining the Lib Dems?

Yes! I don't know who or when but other former Change MPs, some pro EU liberal Tories, some pro EU social democrat Labour MPs might well be seeking a new political home in the weeks and months ahead. Just like Chuka, if they sign up to our values, they will be extremely welcome.

Ed,

If trans women are women and trans men are men, maternity discrimination is no longer discrimination on the basis of sex. So it becomes even harder to fight. How do you propose we do so?

Interesting that Ed answered an abstract (but valid) question on defining women in order to tell all the gender critical women to run along and shut up, basically, but so far has not engaged with the many more detailed questions pressing for specific responses on difficult real-life issues and concerns with self id and the gender debate. Almost like he came in with a script...

Yeah seen him on twitter

That’s the script

@agilelass completely agree.. he hasn't tackled any questions that have come from his local residents either.

Yes, almost like someone had written that nebulous bullsh1t in advance so he could pretend he'd answered.

@Macbooksdontwork

I think I'm right in saying the Lib Dems have never had a leader who isn't a white man and that the party struggles overall to be truly representative of the UK. Isn't it time you had a woman leader?

I'm proud that the LDs have championed diversity, and that at long last we are getting far more women standing as parliamentary candidates in winnable seats - and my ambition would be to get at least a 50/50 parliamentary party asap. And that means women from all backgrounds - BAME, disabled and LGBT+. In my own council, I've encouraged women to stand for years and we now have a majority of women in our group and leadership. And given my wife has stood for Parliament 4 times, this is personal for me.

Indeed, the fact we have a woman standing, shows that the barriers are coming down in the Lib Dems - and whether I win or Jo wins, I'm sure the future leader will be committed to gender equality throughout the party,