James Kirkup: On bomb threats to WPUK meetings: apathy or fear or speaking out?

[R0wantrees]

Article in Spectator concludes:

(extract)
"...Yet women turn up anyway, in large numbers. And what does it say about public and political debate about gender issues that this stuff has become normal and almost unremarkable?

In Britain in 2018, women trying to hold public meetings to talk about politics and the law are being subjected to intimidation and threats. The police are investigating a bomb threat against one of those meetings. Yet politicians and large sections of the media are silent. Would that be the case if any other group or community were subject to such threats and intimidation? Why aren’t politicians, of all parties, shouting from the rooftops about this?

It’s not as if they don’t know or don’t care. Since I started writing about the gender debate in February, I’ve lost count of the number of MPs and other political people (of all parties and ranks, from policy advisers to Cabinet ministers) who have privately told me they are worried about the nature of this debate and worried about the implications of policy. Yet almost all of those people have also said they are not willing to talk about this publicly, for fear of the criticism and vitriol they believe they would face from people who believe the interests of transgender people are best served by shouting down questions with allegations of transphobia and bigotry. I understand that silence, but it has costs. When the people who are supposed to speak for ordinary people – and the rules that allow those people to exercise their basic democratic freedoms – stay silent, they leave a vacuum of leadership and moral courage that can be filled with hostility and fear.

I’ll end by repeating the basic facts of this story once more, in the hope that some of the politicians who talk so much about free speech and equality and fairness finally pluck up the courage to talk about this. Some women had a meeting to talk about their legal rights. Someone threatened to blow up the meeting with a bomb. The police are investigating that threat and say it is being “taken seriously”. And this happened in Britain in 2018."

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/06/why-are-women-who-discuss-gender-getting-bomb-threats/

Thank you, Janes. Let a Woman Speak will be in touch! :)

James 🍺

That politicians know is slightly terrifying, that they arent just going by the voting numbers is confusing but i do think many want the opening to question. Keep writing those letters & making those meetings, we will get there

Fantastic. The tide really is beginning to turn isn't it! Thanks to all you amazing Feminists fighting for all of us. Big respect.

I've been meaning to write to my MP but never white get around to it. I might just send him that article and ask for a response.

Thank you James Kirkup for sticking with this issue.

The suppression of free speech and the fear of MPs to speak out should terrify us all.

Great article again from JK.

The silence is deafening from MPs isn’t it? So they know, but none will speak up, despite this affecting 51% of adult voters?

None will speak up despite this having the potential to remove most of the child safeguarding protections?

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. - Edmund Burk

I would say to any MP reading this: grow a spine. If you will not speak up for women and if you will not speak up for child safeguarding you have no moral right to sit in parliament.

MsMcWoodle You have inspired me. I have just written a HUGE email to my MP about the whole situation and how we will be effected. I also enclosed this article - thank you!

If you will not speak up for women and if you will not speak up for child safeguarding you have no moral right to sit in parliament.

What type of person will stand by and allow child safeguarding to be broken?

James

Another great article from James

If MPs are aware but too invested in looking ‘woke’ or too intimidated or too apathetic to speak up, then they need to realise how much worse it will be for them if the rights of women and children are not sufficiently protected to prevent the inevitable future event that will have the whole country pointing finders at them. Have they learned nothing from Grenfell?

Or Rotherham?

And, you chickenshit, fuckwit, pathetic lawmakers who I know read this forum as well as whispering to James Kirkup in corners where nobody can hear you - take note.

At some point, a woman or several women will be seriously hurt or even killed by these maniacs. And the dilution of safeguarding they are demanding will result in another abuse crisis. You know this because all our safeguarding frameworks evolved in the wake of previous abuse crises.

Instead of waiting to wring your hands when the worst happens and pretending you didn't know, how about you speak up now? And stop leaving it to ordinary women with no power or influence to do your jobs for you at greater personal risk to themselves than you will ever face?

Start. Now. Or I, for one, will never forgive you.

(PS: Cheers, James!)

Instead of waiting to wring your hands when the worst happens and pretending you didn't know, how about you speak up now? And stop leaving it to ordinary women with no power or influence to do your jobs for you at greater personal risk to themselves than you will ever face?

This this this.

So the Government's consultation is due to start next month?

Thanks James

Thank you, James Kirkup. It's good to know that at least some national journalists are speaking out about the issues.

The House of Commons starts its summer recess on 24 July and the Government has said it intends to launch the consultation before then.

Thank you James.

Keep writing.

And yes, the politicians who are too chicken shit to stand up for their actual beliefs need a kick up the arse.

Hear hear langcleg

Absolutely Lang

Thank you James.

If just one or two of you are brave enough to stand up, others will follow.

If you keep the discussion firmly on child safeguarding at the start, you’ll get the leverage you need. Because no one can stand up and argue that they are for reductions in safeguarding

But you need to stand up against this small vocal unpleasant bunch of people. There aren’t many of them.

Stand up. This is pivotal stuff.

A friend of mine who works at the HOC has also told me lots of MPs are anti the GRA in private but are too scared to speak against it in public.

What can we do to get GC politicians to talk publicly? At the moment being painted as a bigot is a far greater problem than as sexist. It's got to be child protection surely?

If just one or two of you are brave enough to stand up, others will follow.

I really believe it would snowball.

YY to child protection being the strongest argument.

Has to be child protection. It’s a valid concern, and it’s not something any rational person can argue against.