Womens Place Newcastle

[Ingsoc]

New to mumsnet, terrified.

Anyone going?

@smithsinarazz You can't transfer tickets, they are in your name and they will ask for ID.

Anyone else traveling without a car?

Me!

Also wibbly, glad it's not just me.

Something about the cloak-and-daggerness of it all really hits home.

I've got a funny feeling there won't be protests.

I’m in town now, people watching at the station! Nervous and excited!

It may be of interest to read an article written by Michael Briggs (Oxford sociology Dept.) in response to the protests at an earlier WPUK meeting:

"Free speech at Oxford: Do women have the right to meet to discuss legislation?"

he concludes:
"In 1908, the Woman’s Social and Political Union could advertise meetings in advance and hold them without security measures. But Woman’s Place UK cannot in 2018.
I have entered this debate not because I am a feminist but because freedom of speech is one of the highest values of a democratic society, and the basic foundation of university life. Transgender activism poses a grave threat to freedom of speech. I think of the young MPhil student who had to disguise herself to attend this meeting because she feared the reaction of fellow students. This is the generation that we have educated."

thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3257819-Michael-Biggs-Sociology-Dept-Oxford-Free-speech-at-Oxford-Do-women-have-the-right-to-meet-to-discuss-legislation

PM me if you want to go by metro from the middle of town en masse. I intend to leave town between 5.30 and 5.45, from either Monument or Haymarket.

Sadly I can't make it due to cluster feeding newborn. Be with you in spirit!

Please report back on the meeting for me!

I kinda think there won't be any protests up here. Most north easterners are pretty non - nonsensical.

If there is anyone left on Twitter to tweet, I will be 'listening' in

I miss the NE - maybe I will go back there to live one day [wistful]

Darn, I'll be missing out on meeting SevenHex 😭

I have read that SevenHex will be bringing biscuits!

Following on twitter #WPUK

@anonymouseagain - ah, you're right. Damn.

BTW - there is a feminist baby group at the Shoe Tree Cafe on Heaton Park Rd - went along there once and we all sat around earnestly debating women's rights while our robust little boys (they mostly were) implicitly commanded us to get our tits out for the lads :D

Smiths, sadly I lack the required offspring.

Oh interesting smith, I'm looking around for where to go with baby this time round. Fuck baby sensory.

There were zero protestors at Basingstoke. I think they may be getting bored/have realised it's not working. Do go if you have tickets, it will be fab - I am envious, there are some great speakers as well.

We're about to start!

Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Thanks for the twitter updates peeps.

I think they know that as a PR tactic it no longer works. They will have something else in the pipeline. The twitter onslaught was one of them.

Keep the tweets coming

There were four protesters, and one was still making their sign...

Wonderful event. Hope you have a fab time. We are winning on the hashtag so no worries.

They doing it from the inside. Dawn Furness?