Can we get into this new party super-quick and encourage them to centre women’s issues?

[RitaFairclough]

I’m so desperate to find a political home, and this new breakaway from Labour seems perfect BUT I need to know they will be on ‘our side’. They were all talking about listening to people’s opinions just now. Do you think if we bring up all the issues that we are dealing with they will pay attention?

I was about to come and post about this, their statement looks like it could be positive? They say they want to encourage healthy debate and show tolerance towards different opinions. I'm cautiously optimistic.

My thoughts exactly.

Chuka Umunna said they were looking to shape this new party with public input and that its policies wouldn't be created from Westminster.

I can't find their website online but that might be the first place to start, in terms of asking for grown up discussion and nuanced thinking around maintaining women's rights and protections with regard to biological sex.

Luciana Berger, Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Anne Coffey....

Haaa! I'm so overjoyed they've fucked off from the Labour party.
No. Won't be going near this shower of shit even if I were a fan.

They're going to be woke and bland as hell. Holding out no hopes on the women's rights front from them.

They're not a new party. They've simply resigned the whip as a group. If they had the courage of their convictions they would resign as MPs and we would see seven by-elections... Don't hold your breath.

Well I think it's worth a try. We have no one to vote for at the moment, maybe this lot will actually listen to women?

I've just emailed to say I'd be delighted to support them, but could I just ask for clarification first... Will report back if I hear anything.

Their website is theindependent.group

It keeps crashing so cant get on it.

If they do start a new party and I so hope they do, gender critical voices need to get in there. We can't wait and see. TRA s get in at all levels of political parties particularly the new small ones. Look at the lib dems and the greens. TRA s don't wait to see if the party agrees with them.

I don't think they will support women.

If they do start a new party and I so hope they do, gender critical voices need to get in there. We can't wait and see. TRA s get in at all levels of political parties particularly the new small ones. Look at the lib dems and the greens. TRA s don't wait to see if the party agrees with them.

This with bells on!

We have to be in on it at the start, we've been left far behind but have made great leaps over the past 12 months. I do think with all the media coverage re prisons, loos, sports etc, a new party will be very hesitant to have a blind 'Trans women are women' policy. They can see the general public, do not get this at all.

There is zero chance the Progress/right wing of Labour refuseniks will acknowledge women's concerns. This defection is irrelevant to women.

The weird thing about this divide in Labour is that the woke contingent in Labour comes from the MPs on the right but the membership and activists on the left.

Nothing currently happening in Labour will be helpful for women.

Langcleng, I fear none of the political parties are helpful for women.

The only Labour faction remotely friendly to GC views is the Blue Labour tendency - there aren't many of them and lots of women would dislike other views of theirs.

teawamutu

Im not particularly hopeful but i would be very interested in hearing about any replies you get

I have never been able to understand why MP's resigning from their party are able to stand as independents, because they effectively give up their chance to influence anything which happens in parliament.
I think anyone doing this should be forced to stand down, and then put up their own money to stand in a by-election.

Supporting women through an understanding of class analysis is something I expected from the actual lefty left. Now I'm of the opinion that misogyny runs too deep for most people to be able to see it, especially those with power.

I have never been able to understand why MP's resigning from their party are able to stand as independents, because they effectively give up their chance to influence anything which happens in parliament.

The Govt hardly have a majority, this lot could decide to vote with them and so yield an awful lot of power.

Chris Leslie has been very dismissive towards female constituents who have asked for his support. His ward has a high percentage of BAME women including Muslim and Romany women, and he doesn't really understand the issues or how self ID will affect them.
He thinks women who want their rights protected need re-educating.

Gavin Shuker is on the Women and Equalities Panel so perhaps we can assume he is no friend to gender critical women?

I would say the opposite.

I have an interesting story, bruh.

Yesterday, I was visited by two retired women from the labour party who were asking if I would help them with campaigning in the local elections. I told them I had left and why I had left in some detail (including rants on sexism in the labour party, failure to defend women's rights, disgust over Brexit, etc etc). The conversation ended with them telling me that they desperately needed more feminists in the labour party and that if I came back, I would have their full support in running as a councillor.

Incidentally, I have never been to a local meeting in my life!

They're not (yet) a new political party, they are seven new independent MPs whose views align on a number of issues

The independent party huh. Assume they won't be running in Scotland or will they have to change their name. The anti independence independent party? 🤣🤣🤣Yh it's a no from me. I guess Any Scottish labour mps joining them will operate the same way they do now, as a branch office of the English party regardless of what it's called.

irnbru - they aren't a new political party. They are a group of former Labour MPs who are badging themselves The Independence Group - ie "The Group of MPs who are Independent of Any Political Parties" (which isn't nearly as snappy)