Women's Equality Party pragmatic advice please

[speakingwoman]

Does anyone know How many people are in WEP?
I'm just wondering what the power of my vote would be if I joined. Or if a few hundred feminists (re) joined.

Arranfan - that hiccupfrog account always has really perceptive thoughts on this whole issue.

I left because it is spectacularly undemocratic and has been entirely captured by middle-class White women who aren't interested in different voices. I know lots of others who have done the same.

Bullnoway - that's a real shame. Are there any specifics you can share?

I guess this is the same problem with all the parties Bullnoway, although if enough of us joined maybe it could change things. I'm politically homeless at the moment and need somewhere to go, hence giving this a go. It might be the wrong decision. Hopefully it won't be. Would you mind sharing your experiences with WEP please?

I'd happily join if other GC women were joining. I've just left labour too after many years.

I missed this thread over the weekend but joined WEP last week in the hope of voting against self ID when it comes.

I joined after I left Labour this year. There is a GC group in the party who are hoping to take this forward. Please join!

Really heartening to so many of you joining welcome! Get stuck in.

Also if you’re a tweeter head over to Twitter and support our leader Sophie Walker who is quite rightly standing up for sex v gender at the moment! Thankfully as far as I can see the gender critical comments getting lots more likes than the genderists.

Yes, have joined Twitter, followed and liked. Getting ready for war in my old age!

Wow is Sophie on glue?
She must know they saying gender is a made up story will spark outrage.
Off to join WEP....

Well done Sophie. These things need to be said. The replies you got demonstrated how trans ideology is trying to eclipse all real activism on behalf of women and girls.

I'm impressed with Sophie for saying that. It's a very important thing to say and the TRAs are objecting to it as expected.

I am going to join.

I am considering this. It would be very nice if at least the Women's Equality Party was gender critical and centred women.

I have been very critical of them in the past - particularly over their treatment of Heather - but there seems to be some evidence of the tide turning.

Just stopping the #nodebate nonsense is something.

I'm considering it too.

The nearest branch to me is not very near, so realistically I wouldn't get to meetings. Does anyone know whether you can still engage, be part of it somehow as a member, without getting involved in a local branch?

Does anyone know whether you can still engage, be part of it somehow as a member, without getting involved in a local branch?

Yes, unlike other parties, WEP allows for online voting for party elections, policy matters (I think) etc..

I have been personally asked by a number of mumsnet members to respond to this question: After finally opening the debate about transgenderism, should people join/re-join the WEP? My thoughts took the following journey: (1) To effect progressive change it is sometimes better to remain in a Party. I therefore want to support people in a decision to be part of WEP in order to be positive and finally move forward. (2) If by being a WEP member, ethical principles have to be severely compromised then bringing about change is more likely to happen outside of it. Since I was not privy to the quality of the debate in the WEP conference, I have mused, genuinely confused and unable to suggest an answer. In the meantime, I have been sent a WEP Wales endorsement of an extremely disturbing blog. WEP says: ‘A brilliant piece was written on Cheryl’s blog, a member of the Bath branch team. It’s a brilliant piece to read if you need some clarity on the subject’. The clarity offered: Describes gender critical views as ‘anti-trans’; Puts feminists in inverted commas; Refers to an organization that provides a platform for women’s voices as ‘anti-trans’; Categorizes those people who argue biology or sex difference is important for women’s human rights have found an ‘excuse to deny trans rights’; Classifies as ‘cis’ those who do not identify as trans. I conclude that any Party that not only endorses these conceptually crude and simplistic views as brilliant but invites their author into its heart as a key advisor effectively performs the following strategies: It takes oxygen out of genuine debate by effectively silencing disagreement as bigotry; It de-prioritizes the very constituency it was set up to represent, namely women; Most importantly, it subsumes women’s and children’s rights to bodily integrity under transgender self-identification. So, my answer is as follows: It will be very hard to effect change from within WEP, but I offer my very best wishes to anyone who attempts it since you will need much energy and dedication. For clarity’s sake, I would like to express my own deeply held views on trans rights: People who identify as transgender have a human right to express themselves in whichever way feels true to them personally and to be accepted and respected for that expression both within political Parties and society more generally.

Heather Brunskell-Evans.

Thank you so much for this, Heather Brunskell-Evans.

The treatment of you, and the lack of due process is why I left after being a founder member. (Lambeth didn't help. Your news about WEP Wales endorsement of Cheryl's blog post is yet more troubling.)

You have summed up my uneasiness and my feeling that WEP is not yet ready to address my concerns about the quality of their governance nor to adopt even basic principles of procedural justice.

Thank you to Heather.
Cheryl's blog ... I don't know where to begin. Depressing. 'there were leaflets in the Loos but no razor blades' or some such. Seemingly straight faced.

Cheryl Morgan appears to run the Bath WEP branch.

I wouldn't see much point in anyone from Bath joining the WEP, frankly.

Thank you Heather.

Thanks Heather.

I do think that we need to remember that that blog endorsement was written by one individual in the party. And every party is made of individuals.
I still think if enough GC women join a critical mass will soon be reached to change the ethos. But you can only effect change from within.

I am going to join.

If they let us down, I'll leave. But I have to try.

Thank you Heather for letting us have your thoughts on this, much appreciated.