Any questions Radio 4 now

[Biologicalreality]

There is an actual balanced question!

Claire Fox laying it on the line and she knows her stuff!!

Applause!!!

Good start.

Blimey. This is a sensible panel. Because they are not politicians.

Yep, next two men more cautiously supporting women.

Well. Pretty good I think. And audience seemed behind them?

Anyone fancy phoning any answers?

Well! I was hoping a question on this would come up! Was great but not long enough. Looking forward to Any Answers tomorrow

I hope someone will - I'll be travelling and have to listen on catch-up.

For those who kissed the programme, it will be on the iplayer soon. BBC Radio 4 Any Questions.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000sfc

Missed the programme! Not kissed

That was amazing. Claire Fox was less informed that I can recall hearing her on any other subject but even though she was all over her instincts were to speak for free speech and balancing rights and she spoke sense.

The others were really interesting. With the two blokes you could feel they were torn between knowing what was acceptable to say but also knew that if they parroted that stuff in front of an audience without back up they would make themselves look foolish. So they went for "it's complicated, we have to be careful".

I'd imagine Carolyn Fairbairn of the CBI was absolutely over the moon that by the time the question got to her, time was so short all she had to do was say a few relatively bland sentences.

But no one said "because these are the most oppressed people ever, we must give them everything their allies ask for without question". That's groundbreaking for the BBC.

Oh, for anyone catching up, it's the last question so you can go right to the end, listen for 5 minutes, and avoid 50 minutes of flannel.

Will listen tomorrow :)

So no 'Transwomen are Women' like Diane Abbott answered when asked earlier in the year? (I haven't heard it yet).

No. First speaker (woman) very much pro women. 2nd two (male) cautious but appeared anti self id. Last (female) ‘we need a sensible debate’. A few comparisons to gay rights, but overall pretty level headed.

I can’t open the page. Can anyone tell me what the question was please?

And how interesting to see what happens when this debate is put before a panel of non-campaigners. No need then for crack-handed attempts to “balance”.

*Cack, not crack...

Very pleasant surprise.

The question was who's rights should take precedence; women or trans people.

^ this is where I want to shout at the radio, define what trans people are please!

It will be repeated at 1pm today, followed by Any Answers, where you can phone in or tweet to comment.

I can't help feeling all this could be sorted out if transwomen were recognised in law as transwomen. They are then a protected characteristic but distinguishable from women. I know this is not what they want, but their feelings are not more important than the practical safety of women & children.

For anyone pushed for time, you're looking to listen to the last 10 minutes of the programme broadcast on Radio 4 today. That would be around 13.50 (maybe tune in a minute or two earlier to be on the safe side).

And hello Bore, I hope all goes well in Ambridge. I'm still in self-imposed exile away from the place.

Why nauticant? Come back, come back! I'm just waiting for a right-on storyline in which Henwi starts to like pink and glitter...

You are so tempting but I've sworn off. I have my own line in the sand of "not like Eastenders"/"reminiscent of Eastenders" and for me the flood and what happened after tipped The Archers over to the wrong side. Occasionally if I stumble into an episode I think "who are these people?".

It's stopped being Eastendery, honest!

hahahaha. I shall resist.

Right, off out into the sunny weather. I won't be able to catch Any Answers but look forward to reading the discussion here. Maybe we'll learn whether Anita Anand is gender critical. I'll be very disappointed if she's not.

I haven't been on the threads in a while Bore but to me it's stayed Eastenders-esque because there's a family bust-up every other episode. I'm finding it very tedious.

Yes Anita Anand has written a book on the suffragettes recently hasn't she? So I'm hoping she isn't woke, but you never know.