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."

I am totes inclined to take someone who dismissively refers to feminists as "fems" seriously. Clearly Jo has our best interests at heart.

I know Liddle isn't a feminist. He's a bloke. and he writes provocatively on some issues, (women drivers, anyone) but it's so often clearly tongue in cheek. I confess I find his writing very funny, most of the time.

Hey, I grew up in the 60s and 70s. As I've said elsewhere, if you think women have it tough now, you should have tried forging a career in a male-dominated industry back then.

prostitution is great is a position held by all the main political parties, including Labour and the Greens.

We are living in a patriarchy and a rape culture. We can't just refuse to agree with anything misogynist people say because that's practically everyone.

I am totes not inclined to take anyone seriously who uses the word 'totes' or has anything good to say about Rod Liddle.

Rod Liddle ffs.

Tallulah, not EVERYONE supports prostitution.

Obvs you're just content to be stuck firmly in your 'without sin' echo chamber.

Nae dramz.

Although you'd be hard pushed to find a single person who is totes without sin, obvs.

In the land of the blind the one-eyed columnist is marginally less annoying

(With apologies to blind people)

Oh I'm definitely convinced, please share more of your wisdom about what "fems" should do.

Focus on something else but trans issues. Anything.

We will continue to focus on both trans issues and other things, but your attempt to control the conversation has been noted.

What hackmum said: the tribe I've lived in all my life is throwing women under the bus. If someone will speak out to stop THIS ONE ISSUE, I'll listen and deal with the other stiluff later. Kudos also to whoever said odd alliances defeated apartheid.

If an actual leftist with real clout came out against self ID think of the flood of support they'd get.

And also death threats, if they were a woman. Which is why they don't.

If an actual leftist with real clout came out against self ID think of the flood of support they'd get

God, yes. I do have some hopes of the unions esp given the involvement of people like the fabulous Ruth Serwotka

The fact that there's another internal group finally pushing back against Momentum is a good sign, I think.

Had anyone specifically sent the petition to Unite?

@MargeH hello from a fellow right of centre woman! There are clearly a few of us lurking around here

Rod is a friend of Julie Bindel. He's a bit rough and ready and a wind up merchant but frankly I prefer that to the utter serpent toothed cuntitude displayed by men on the "new" left.

Tbh I'm generally of the persuasion that "my enemy's enemy is my friend - for now".

I generally do not feel the need to like or dislike people over one issue.

I'm equally not inclined (given where we are) to turn down support from the likes of RL.

What's shocking is we are NOT getting support from senior women politicians.

I think we're in a dangerous place.

Definitions based on material reality are being called hate speech

People are being arrested for thought crimes.

This is about authoritarianism, not left/right politics.

Maybe the politicians should delete their Twitter and FB accounts and get on with what they were elected to do, instead of pandering to the whims of online bullies.

I don't have a twitter account and rarely use FB (certainly not for personal stuff) and guess what....life goes on. I don't use my mobile much either - I find being expected to be available 24/7 is stifling. Leave me a message or send me an email and I'll pick it up in my own time, thank you.

What's shocking is we are NOT getting support from senior women politicians. They all seem to be retreating to the shadows. Can you imagine the disconnect between what they say in public and what they're really thinking in their heads. I think they're equating it with homophobia against gay people and of course it's nothing like that.

The trouble is, how do the 'transwomen are women' brigade, particularly politicians, do a U-turn on this without coming across as absolute numpties in the first place?

I don't see a face-saving way out of this, atm, so that could be a real problem.

I think the Conservatives are hoping it will just go away. They are not actively pushing the issue now and as they don't have all women selection lists they won't get tangled up in that mess.

MrsJoJo I spent the 80s canvassing for the Labour Party with my parents in a hardcore Tory area. It was fucking depressing, but I was absolutely convinced that the Tories were scum and that life would be better for poor people under Labour. I cried tears of joy in May 1997.

As of 2018, I cannot vote Labour, due to Bromentum and their misogynistic identity politics. Corbyn is a joke. I agree with Rod Liddell in this instance.

Fuck Labour for now

Also, how do you (Gnu) propose that we stop Liddle writing about this stuff, if indeed we wanted to do that? Or is the idea that he writes what he wants (which I assume he'd do anyway) and we automatically condemn it even if in this particular case we think he's right.

When did I propose that we stop him? I'm a very firm believer in free speech. I don't propose that he be condemned either. My unease lies in the fact that so many people are eager to be aligned with him when his record on, in particular, feminism is appalling. If you validate him in any way, he will have a lovely time twisting it and claiming that MN supports him. Much better to ignore him.