Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times today

[MargeH]

Go Rod...

"My favourite politician, Harriet Harman, has come up with an ingenious plan, as is entirely typical of her. She has suggested that the next Labour leadership election should be contested only by female candidates. The men, she says, can “jostle” for the position of deputy.
This is presumably an attempt by Harriet to stop the macho bullies of Momentum winning the race. But there is a problem she may not have foreseen. Labour’s National Executive Committee recently decided that all-women shortlists can include people who identify as women but are not, actually, women. So the next leadership election may be your first and last chance to see Andy Burnham wearing a gingham frock or Sadiq Khan resplendent in a niqab. Men are endlessly inventive when it comes to getting their own way."

Brilliant.

He has a point! I hope he's wearing his bulletproof underpants today.

That’s excellent.

He has also picked up on the women's college that has banned the word 'woman' and the trans site promoting trans women for sex rather than us boring old biological woman. His conclusion is: "They really don't like women very much do they?"
he Times has also covered the Labour party AWS issue and the girl guides today.

Oh dear, the trouble is he does sound like a knob, and perhaps a racist knob at that. Nobody really thinks Sadiq's going to put a niqab on to get onto an AWS. I do hate the dact that the Right is being able to use this issue against the Left.

The left has always been capable of fucking things up without any help from the right. I've never bought into the idea that the left is progressive (and I'm centrist, not right).

So, go Rod.

I’m glad he’s covering it, but anyone who was around in the noughties will recall that Rod was rather low on radfem credentials back then.

Mary O’Connor who covered ManFriday last week has written about the guides, as rowdywoman mentions. I think she’s a real ally on this stuff.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gender-swap-boys-spark-guides-revolt-wtcv7xjk5

I don’t think Rod Liddle and I would agree on much else but in principle he’s right to note Harriet Harman said a good thing, and that she will get a shit load of push back for it from left wing men.
I am left wing, not that it matters. I want to call out the lefty dudebros not protect them tribally. I hope women on the right are doing the same where they see misogyny in right wing politics.
Fact is, Corbyn’s Labour is rolling back on women’s rights. They don’t want to support women by even having women in post as specified in the job of women’s officers (Because the officer role is to represent women not transwomen, who are not women and evidence in posts held so far is that women’s issues are not on the agenda),
AND when there are LGBT officer jobs also available. Where the big welcome for trans candidates is more appropriate. (Not that I think trans candidates’ appointment is very helpful to LGB people because LGB people are often challenging gender stereotypes while trans as a doctrine reinforces and celebrates gender stereotypes of femininity and masculinity and links them intrinsically to sex. Which essentially erases the identity of gay people and anyone else who does not conform 100% to horrible old fashioned gender stereotypes. Nothing progressive or brave or fabulous to see there.)
But the point is, other roles are available to transwomen to contribute, which are not women’s officer. All women shortlists are also essential while women are still heavily under-represented in party and parliamentary political life.
Because over-representation of men in party and government policy making is a loss to all women in terms of their visibility and representation and equality. It seems crazy to have to state the obvious like this but apparently, in today’s Labour Party, it’s necessary. Brilliant work by Harriet Harman.

Shared link to full article here

go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nothing-proves-jeremy-corbyn-is-anti-semitic-just-everything-he-says-anddoes-sh0n23hg0?shareToken=af852b89b79b6e1e0a18f22783d11523

Annoyingly there's an article in the ST magazine about 'how to talk to children about gender' that's a bit shit. Hope the times aren't feeling the pressure. Glad there's still a decent gender critical contingent.

They've also got an article on 'Labour left splits over trans rights', saying Momentum supports self-ID for AWS and Unite doesn't.

Here's a link for that one

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/labour-left-splits-over-trans-rights-n9x0b6p2z?shareToken=b68fa55febafa197b85d3803d9d69e94

He has a point! I hope he's wearing his bulletproof underpants today.

He won't need it...men are bulletproof when it comes to the TRAs. Because they are in reality MRAs.

I suspect he knows full well he's articulating what the vast majority of the general public actually thinks, and I think he will relish being taken on by the activists. He's not a big fan of feminists, per se, that's true, but he was active in the Labour party in the past, so the 'right wing' tag is unfair.

Can I just add, I vote conservative, but that doesn't make me a racist or a bigot. I'm fairly new to Mumsnet and I get the impression that my centre right views aren't welcome. There are a lot of people like me out there and we use our vote. Please don't use the 'right wing' tag as an insult....we're actually on the same side (common sense) on so many issues which affect women and children.

I heard the Ricky Gervais was beginning to get some flack.

Men are endlessly inventive when it comes to getting their own way.
Well, indeed.

Lansman, Momentum’s leader, says in an email to colleagues: “I do not believe there is a real alternative to self-identification . . . in almost all circumstances transgender women should be treated as women.”

However, Murray, Unite’s chief of staff, has signed a letter attacking the “attempt to silence women’s voices” and saying that “all women have a right to debate how any proposed measures may impact on women-only spaces”.

From the article linked by Errol. My italics.

So Lansman what circumstances would lead to trans women not being seen as women?

Bravo Murray.

But that doesn't help when they are saying that a man can be a woman.

Woman debating woman only spaces? Let's ask Bernard shall we - she's a woman (because she said so).

Could someone with a Times account link to the petition below the article?

Marge this is a place to turn up and talk freely, perhaps organise if you feel so inclined. Welcome . We are genuinely, all in this together. This issue affects all women and girls of all political stripes.

Could someone with a Times account link to the petition below the article?

Not sure what you mean?

Sorry, on a cold, foggy football sideline and that comment was garbled.
I meant could someone link to the petition in the comments below the article. I can’t seem to find a way to do so without being a member. The Times usually seem to welcome relevant links in comments.

I am so worried about this I feel we need all the help we can get so I am not really looking a gift horse in the mouth at the moment.