How John McDonnell wooed Mumsnet - James Kirkup

[womensvoicesmatter]

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised that he tackled the women's rights / self ID questions, I thought he'd avoid them!

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/09/how-john-mcdonnell-wooed-mumsnet/

So all these people waiting on what's going to happen so they can bandwagon, are basically waiting to see how successful, committed and persuasive feminists are. They know we are right, but have we got the stomach to see it through? Because if we do, we will certainly win.

I think he was way off in his interpretation. Most here are not impressed and can see right through the empty promises and "we will talk to both sides" flannel.

I think there may be more to it. Look at the last couple of paragraphs of the article:

And yet here we have John McDonnell, shadow chancellor and field commander of the Corbynite armies, promising to listen to women’s concerns about gender reform and to meet with WPUK. The angry mob’s reaction to that will be fascinating, to say the least.

P.S. Just a thought, but isn’t it a bit odd that John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, has been willing to discuss the gender issue with Mumsnet but Penny Mordaunt, the Cabinet minister for women and equalities hasn’t managed to do so yet?

He's emphasised John McDonnell's promises and highlighted Penny Mordaunt's reluctance to engage. If he'd minimised what McDonnell said, he wouldn't be able to challenge Mordaunt the same way.

Honestly, I think he gave the best answer he could to the self-Id question.

The fact that he didn't respond with TWAW is promising. It shows that he hasn't drunk the Kool Aid just yet.

If he is gender critical, he can't admit it if he's looking for a leadership bid. It will bring too much bad publicity. Better to sit on the fence until it's safe.

If he is gender critical, he can't admit it if he's looking for a leadership bid. It will bring too much bad publicity. Better to sit on the fence until it's safe.

We can't know either way until he makes his leadership bid, it's very much damned if you do damned if you don't. IMO he will continue the fudge or backtrack. Unless he's willing to challenge Momentum and the blue haired anarchists (who are Labour brown shirts) he's unlikely to change his position. He needs Momentum. Wasn't he just saying the other day how we needed to organise a modern day anti-fascist league and take to the streets? I'm very nervous considering how many in anarchist politics see TERFS as literally worse than Hitler

John understands our concerns, and he knows damn well that TW are not W. He just doesn't care.

We don't need to convince him or anyone that TW are not W. They all know. We only need to show that it is to their personal and political disbenefit to base policy on the belief that they are.

YYY.

All the same, the signalling that debate is needed is useful.

And this is the positive I took from it.