Labour's pink bus

[Poofus]

Is this really the best way the Labour Party can think of to woo women voters?!

I was quite impressed with Labour from a feminist perspective, but this is the most hamfisted attempt to win over the "women's vote" I could imagine.

from what they were saying on the news it's to try and engage with the 9 million (iirc) women who didn't vote in the last election. in which case it indicates that they feel that pink would appeal to those women in particular (even if in reality it's to do with their new pink branding). i'm not sure that "pink is for women who don't vote" as a message is especially helpful to either labour or women really, in the context of pinkification

i wonder what they are doing to appeal to men who didn't vote in the last election

The 'man-bus' is taking longer to paint as it's going to be in camouflage pattern. With footballs for wheels.

in-built beer pumps?

The whole "bus" thing really misses the point. Women are not some minority group that needs a special approach. We are more than half the population and don't want to be told that we need to be taught politics in some "women only" way.
We simply want debate on issues that affect us, real solutions, proper legislation and more women representing us.

It is so simple that even the marketing company that came up with the pink bus idea could have realised it.

The problem is that 3 months before the election the labour party has realised that women aren't voting and there isn't enough time to change the whole system (because lets face it, that is what is needed)and so a bandaid (a lovely pink one) is being used instead.

What got me was that in the Guardian Harriet Harman was quoted as saying they wanted to talk to women at the school gates and in their homes (oh, and at work too...) as if women are the only subset of people who exist in these places.

it is highly patronising and incredibly misguided. They will regret it.

Pretty fucking cringy if you ask me.

But then I'd not vote Labour with a gun to my head so I'm probably biased

We don't require special pink politics. The feminist voting thread demonstrated that we can read ordinary, multicoloured policies and evaluate our beliefs and intentions in relation to them. As men do. Unless there's a special blue van too?

This. I don't need the deficit explained to me in terms of how many handbags I could buy for the amount spent in interest on government borrowing either

Pink bus is pretty revolting, but the kitchen table comment is unforgivable.

Have you all remembered that Harriet is on Mumsnet tomorrow?

Or did we all turn off that annoying pop-up as soon as it popped up?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_live_events/2305119-Webchat-with-Deputy-Labour-Leader-Harriet-Harman-MP-THURSDAY-12-FEBRUARY-12-1pm

Tiggy I had planned to stay well clear of Harriet's webchat for fear of Saying Something I Might Regret.

Are you suggesting we should all turn up wearing pink and ask her nice pink questions about her special Politics For Ladies?

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, I've just seen a commentator explain on SKY that it's Schiaparelli pink.

So it must be OK because a particular clothes designer liked the shade.

Pink is just a colour though, isn't it? We all think about, analyse and disect everything too much, IMHO.

Just talking about the bus, by the way - I'm not sufficiently well read to have noticed anything else.

Nope. Just reminding people that the #BarbieBus lady will be here. It's a good chance to swap complaining out loud about a topic to nobody in particular, to complaining directly to the person responsible. (Or at least responsible for not admitting it was not a good idea straight away.)

I've checked on Dulux's website and the closest is "Fuschia Lily".

TheReturnoftheSmartArse - it's about context

There is nothing at all wrong with liking pink. Pink is a great colour.

What is wrong with this is thinking, "ooh let's do something to target women voters, lets go on the road, let's make the truck pink cause that's what ladies like. It's going to have to be really bright to get them around the kitchen table with us".

FFS! It is dreadful.

I am torn - I'm really glad they are trying but I think HH has made a bad call here.

Also, with housing being my main concern, I DON'T HAVE A BLOODY KITCHEN TABLE to sit around!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I did, but I don't. I don't have a dining room table either.

And I do object to "women's policies" in some ways - why don't ALL policies consider women?

What I would like HH, Labour and all other politicians to think about is why in politics is the default, MEN? And they just come crawling after the women when they realise they are in deep shite and they might need us?

I don't know what other colour they could have used, yellow, green, red, blue,purple are all taken, Turquoise is too David Icke........Just don't see why they need a van?

Just get on telly and radio and tell us what the labour party policies are and how all of us (men and children too) will benefit from their Governance!

Equality for ALL

"I don't know what other colour they could have used, yellow, green, red, blue,purple are all taken,"

Isn't red "taken" by the Labour Party? No reason not to continue to use.

Red?

The idea was that red would look like all their other mini-busses 16 seaters.

I think they needed a van to show how few women MP's there are!

It should have been red in my opinion but then there may have been comments about period van or something.
I've met Harman a few times and she is actually very nice and quite genuine.
Actually i would prefer something was done to engage women even if it feels niche as if more women engage then we might break the male stranglehold
This is the bbc survey thing i referred to earlier
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31089739

Have you read the news? "A future Labour government would double the amount of paid paternity leave available to new fathers from two to four weeks, Ed Miliband has announced.The Labour leader has also pledged to increase statutory paternity pay by more than £120 a week to £260 a week, paid for by savings in tax credits." (That's a lot of tax credit, guys...) So men are being OFFERED double pay and double the time for paternity leave. Women have had to beg, fight and claw to get maternity leave, let alone a bit of money to stretch the loss of income. Men hohum and dawdle about taking on their share of leave (or work with a baby?) and - presto - government offers them double. Ed didn't announce that from a baby blue van to the lads, hahaha!

If the pink van gets some (potential) voters to feel more inclined to discuss politics - so be it. But personally I think the colour choice just silly and I must say it would actually turn me away.