Private Eye takes on Madigan ***MNHQ edited title***

[breastfeedingclownfish]

hopefully this is visible

'It's like a plot line from The Thick of It but worse.'

The whole situation is like a spectacularly bonkers episode of The Thick of It. Ditto Brexit

The thing is that men who are GC see it as ridiculous and silly and it'll all blow over. They get the points, but don't understand the real fear underlying it.
The support I have had from men has always been related to "well, this is what some men are like". There's no understanding of what it is like for women to deal with it.

The likes Of Hislop are giving it airtime, but are still making a joke of it (I know that's the point of the paper). It's really not a joke for women. We appreciate the support - but take it more seriously!

The whole situation is like a spectacularly bonkers episode of The Thick of It

It really is!

Sadly there's no Malcolm Tucker to give the likes of Madigan and the woke idiots an almighty bollocking.

Yes spot on rememberatime They can't understand how serious it is or what the potential impact is for vulnerable women

sweary i know you did live tweeting but is there any chance of a write-up from any of you gals, for those of us baffled by Twitter?

The support I have had from men has always been related to "well, this is what some men are like". There's no understanding of what it is like for women to deal with it.

And they have no real idea quite how many men are like it.

And how many men have it bubbling just below the surface. But tend not to let it show, because of customs and protocols.

And so often the men that do claim to get it want all the affirming ego pats and sulk if they don't get them. I mean there's the fella on another thread who is rather unconvincingly trying to show he 'understands the concerns of women', but just can't help pointing out that 'as a man' he probably has the casting vote because no one listens to women anyway.

There's no shame-facedness in this admission, in fact he seems rather pleased about it.

He also spoke about how he couldn't ensure that it was a "safe space" for LM which is why LM left the room before the Q&A.

Good grief. If LM wants to become an MP, LM needs to understand the realities of being a politician. And that means dealing with criticism.

What a depressing event Sweary.

I agree that there is a big fat middle ground between the HofC being a braying, men's establishment that belittles, abuses and harasses others and being a fucking "safe space".

Can you imagine PMQs?

"Mr Speaker, I'd challenge the Rt Hon Member for Sminton-on-Vale to explain why it was prudent to spend £1,520,000 of tax payers' money on a trip to the Middle East when schools across the country are sending children home because the Roof Repair Plan that her department has championed has failed to repair more than three roofs in two years and the children are being drenched when it rains."

"Mr Speaker, I'm leaving the chamber as this is no longer a safe space for me"

LM didn't even know what we wanted to say or whether we only wanted to listen. LM was "unsafe" by women with opinions about the transcult being in a room with LM. How does LM manage public spaces?

By the way MNHQ I am doing my best to not "misgender" but it's really hard so if one slips through by mistake please cut me some slack.

I didn't think I'd find myself typing this....but I'm not sure I agree with you, Datun

And they have no real idea quite how many men are like it.

And how many men have it bubbling just below the surface. But tend not to let it show, because of customs and protocols

I think men are also very very aware of what other men are like. Don't forget that adult men have also had a lifetime of navigating their way through dealing with other men. They do know what it is like to be on the receiving end of male violence (I would bet that most men have been involved in some kind of scuffle, even if it wasn't a full fist fight). They recognise alpha males; if they are an alpha male they usually know it - and to some degree exploit it.

They also see and hear how men behave when women aren't there. I've changed my opinion on a number of men who I had thought were more or less decent chaps when DH has told me a sprinkling of the things they say in the changing room, or when I've seen the sort of messages that they send out to other groups of men.

For better or worse, this is why men who care about women (even if it's only "their" women that they care about, such as wife / daughter / mum / sister) recognise instantly the danger that women can be in if men are allowed into their spaces. I've found that men peak much faster than women when you say "but transwomen don't need to have any surgery at all in order to go into the ladies changing room at the swimming pool", because they know the potential for abuse that scenario creates

Lol, that article.

Private Eye: So one of your headline speakers has been bullying people online. Interesting choice for launching a campaign about kinder, gentler politics, no?

Organisers: Transphobe!!

Private Eye:

"Mr Speaker, I'm leaving the chamber as this is no longer a safe space for me"

I can hear it now: "Mr Speaker, make them stop being meeeeaaaan to me. I'm sweet and vulnerable. And you terfs can fuck off and then die in a fire."

I feel they are missing the point with this kinder politics stuff.

What they should be focusing on is responsible politics which would include not allowing confused/contrarian (insert whatever descriptor) teenage males to become Women's Officers.

Also not compound that by giving them free rein to spout whatever nonsense they choose in the name of the party in a very public way. and be openly hostile to the very group they allegedly represent.

Madigan's use of victimhood is ridiculous. Even making allowances for youthful angst and inexperience they should know better.

I can't imagine they have a future in politics once gender identity is no longer thing of the moment for MPs to champion.

Oops, sorry, there were so many posts between mine and the OPs it looks like I was way OT.

So at an event supposedly about a kinder, gentler politics the chair of the event calls someone "pathetic"? Er...

Why on earth should politics be kind and gentle? It needs to be able to deal with unpleasant issues head on. It needs to be able to ask the hard questions.

Sweary thank you for the recap. Thank you for going along to that fucking farce. Christ. Embarrassing! The irony of having such an event in Parliament...

Having to dramatically leave a room you have accepted a speaking invitation to, with a public viewing group, to discuss important issues.... because other people also sitting in there might ask you a question or might not agree with your politics?

Fuck me, how’s someone like that going to hold down ANY job or attend ANY conversation between themselves and another human being? Do they know that mind control has not been invented yet? That the only way to achieve (superficial) compliance to political dogma is by physical force and threats of harm or brain washing a person from childhood and banning any free speech or questions? Ie totalitarianism? By which point, political representation of the people is completely fucking redundant anyway. so the job of Parliament or an MP as we know it will not exist..

Then we had the Q&A where Venice was resolutely ignored. Eventually another feminist got to ask why LM was on the panel when LM has been abusive to lots of women online. That's when Venice shared the tweets and was called pathetic by the chair.

Fucking Helllllllll

The Chair called Venice pathetic. The Chair of a political meeting said that?! For Venice telling the truth? For Venice pointing to blatantly obvious hypocrisy?

Did the Chair think that they were Chairing a debate on kind gentle politics or did they think they had convened an affirmation peer support group? (That only affirms... some people. Other people with equally valid views can be called out as ‘pathetic’.. ) that’s not actually chairing..

Women being ‘kind’ and accepting moral pressure led by men, for all women to budge up to say certain things that are not true and to accept actions that are patently not true, because of not wanting to offend some men’s poor hurty feelz when those men have an unsatisfiable need for external validation .... is how we got into this mess in the first place.
Never never again.

For the record what is pathetic is silencing other people for merely having a different perspective. Abusive tweets are pathetic. Emotional manipulation is pathetic. Threats are pathetic.

Being kind or gentle has fuck all to do with any of this nonsense. Ugh.

Why on earth should politics be kind and gentle? It needs to be able to deal with unpleasant issues head on. It needs to be able to ask the hard questions.

^^ This. It should be civil, it should depend upon evidence that can be validated. It should be open to criticism and correction.

'What they should be focusing on is responsible politics which would include not allowing confused/contrarian (insert whatever descriptor) teenage males to become Women's Officers. '

Well said. Clarity, responsibility, robust debate, accountability. That's what we need. Gentle and kind . It just makes me think of Jeremy Corbyn who talks a good game with this kind of stuff but never seems to actually call his own dogs off

I know I'm just repeating other posters but I think it's marvellous: the chair of a self-styled meeting on kinder, gentler politics tells a contributor they're pathetic. Pure comedy gold.

Private Eye are going to love that one.

They also see and hear how men behave when women aren't there. I've changed my opinion on a number of men who I had thought were more or less decent chaps when DH has told me a sprinkling of the things they say in the changing room, or when I've seen the sort of messages that they send out to other groups of men.

I don't think we are disagreeing OlennasWimple. Because this ^^ is what I mean.

I agree that men know what other men are like, and instantly see the problem with inveigling their way into women's spaces. It's as plain as a pikestaff to them.

What I think they don't see, is the everyday sexism that they don't recognise, because it doesn't happen to them.