Eleanor Scott article, 'Did Mumsnet Catch Out Penny Mordaunt Over Turkey 'Lies'?'

[R0wantrees]

“Penny Mordaunt’s webchat answer about Turkey and the UK’s veto on Mumsnet is interesting and illuminating. One might be tempted to ask of the Secretary of State and Minister for Women, are you now lying about why you lied?”
In the past week Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development and Minister for Women & Equalities and former defence minister, performed (in the opinion of many Mumsnetters) one of the most abysmal Mumsnet webchats ever, now held in perpetuity in the influential website’s digital annals. (I wrote about it here.) The focus of the ensuing disappointment and ire has understandably been on her apparent disregard for sex-based protections and rights for women, and the safeguardng of children of both sexes, and her odd comments about the meaning of ‘mother’. Additionally there remains another nugget buried deep in the motherlode of Mordaunt’s thought-mine of doom, which goes to the heart of her credibility.

Turkey and the UK veto. Ring any bells? It led to headlines such as the Guardian’s ‘David Cameron suggests defence minister [Mordaunt] is lying over Turkey joining EU’.

Here’s the question(s) that Penny Mordaunt was asked on Mumsnet:

During the Brexit campaign, you repeatedly said that the UK couldn't stop Turkey from joining the EU. This was a huge lie. A lie I heard many people repeat in the run-up to the referendum. So my questions are: Why did you say that? Are you ashamed of the lies you told to get people to vote Brexit? Do you think deliberately lying in politics is acceptable or democratic?

It’s a good three-part question from the Mumsnet poster and given that Mordaunt ignored other important questions asked of her during this non-live webchat (for example, about her own supposed investigation into a major issue affecting girls), it was a surprise to see her attempt an answer to this one. (continues)

concludes:
One might be tempted to ask of the Secretary of State and Minister for Women, are you now lying about why you lied?

And if so, what on earth can women believe that comes from Penny Mordaunt’s pen, keyboard or out of her mouth? Does she any credibility left? Why should we believe her definitions and non-definitions of woman, mother, parliamentary equality, and child safety? Mordaunt’s actions and words since the Referendum on the matter of her role in the official Leave campaign have also attracted some disdain from political writers. Tom Peck, a political sketch writer with The Independent, accused her of ‘sidestepping all of the evidence’ during a speech he saw as the ‘latest attempt by a Tory Brexiter to unburden themselves from the heavily soiled consequences of their actions’.

Penny, you looked on the surface terribly calm and collected when you raised your left hand and denied the truth, and told Andrew Marr that the UK didn’t have a veto regarding Turkey, when the UK did. You and your associates collectively used negative images of Turkey and the Turkish people for your own political ends, horrible images which I’m not going to bother reproducing here. You were instrumental in creating a narrative which turned Turkey into a trope of fear, a motif of danger - unfairly and wrongly. That’s just not cricket. You’ve actually got people wondering if you are really that far removed from Arron Banks and his belief that ‘facts don’t work … You’ve got to connect with people emotionally. It’s the Trump success’?

I have a horrible feeling that you believe that you could sell snake-oil; but I’m not buying any of it."

eleanorscottarchaeology.com/els-blog/2019/3/16/a15dgeeccqp58sdkgnqq2h2pft4xyx

threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_live_events/3523984-International-Women-s-Day-Q-A-with-Penny-Mordaunt-MP-Secretary-of-State-for-International-Development-NOW-CLOSED-TO-NEW-QUESTIONS

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3533532-Eleanor-Scott-article-Did-Mumsnet-Just-Hand-Penny-Mordaunt-Her-Arse

I think that one day Penny will look back on that we chat and see it for exactly what it was: the biggest wasted career opportunity of her life.

If she hadn't ignored the questions on child safeguarding, homophobia and misogyny I'd almost feel sorry for her.

I said this on the other thread but it's almost as if politicians think MNers won't ask intelligent complex questions, and then when they do the politician is totally taken aback and flounders.

@EleanorScott
Thank you for such brilliantly written articles.
There is so much that is poorly written and badly researched nowadays

Thank you @R0wantrees.

I think most if not all of Penny Mordaunt's answers are worthy of an article in their own right.

I'm looking now at the questions which were asked about the Tavistock (and issues around that) and her answer.

Here's the question she answered:

"Q. My question is about the Tavistock Clinic and GIDs. Children were given experimental drugs euphemistically known as 'puberty blockers'. This has emerged as a major safeguarding scandal. Furthermore, follow-up studies of the children post-18 have not taken place, which is inexcusable in medicine and science. It is known, though, that harm has been caused. And also that money has been made. Will you assure us that the promotion of such harm in schools will stop immediately?"

Here's Penny Mordaunt's answer:

"A. The Gender Identity Development Service, which is more commonly referred to as ‘the Tavistock’ is the only NHS gender identity service for under-18s in England and Wales and is not promoted in schools. This is separate from Gender Identity Clinics for adults, of which there are seven in England and Wales. When it comes to medical treatment, there are age limits. Puberty blockers can only be given to children from about 12, who have gone through extensive counselling and discussion with their families and medical experts. Cross-sex hormones are only available at 16 and over, again, after a continued in depth look at how that child’s health is progressing, and surgery is only available to adults who are 18 and over. The Gender Identity Development Service for under-18s notes on its own website that there is not enough research out there on puberty blockers. This is something the NHS has been carefully and sensibly dealing with for years – making the best decision for each individual child, in conjunction with their families, weighing up all the risks. We have committed in our LGBT action Plan to improving our understanding of the impacts on children and adolescents of changing their gender.
It is important to note that age limits for legal gender recognition are separate to age limits for medical treatment. The age limit for applying for legal gender recognition is 18, and there is no intention to change this."

[Word in bold are my emphasis.]

This is a major safeguarding issue in my view. The current Portsmouth City Council member with overarching responsibility for Children's Safeguarding is Cllr Rob Wood, whom I know; and I'll be seeking his views on this.

The Gender Identity Development Service for under-18s notes on its own website that there is not enough research out there on puberty blockers. This is something the NHS has been carefully and sensibly dealing with for years – making the best decision for each individual child, in conjunction with their families, weighing up all the risks.

This part of her answer struck me as quite contradictory; how can you weigh up all the risks if there is insufficient research?

It was one of many questions raised by her woefully inadequate responses.

I said this on the other thread but it's almost as if politicians think MNers won't ask intelligent complex questions, and then when they do the politician is totally taken aback and flounders.

We're meant to ask about biscuits and prams, aren't we?

Sincere thanks to EleanorScott for highlighting this mess.

Tbf if its a man some idiot always asks them about their favourite biscuit and I silently scream

Hmmm, I wonder why people like to assume Mumsnetters are silly hens clucking about fluffy, inoffensive topics like which brand of baby food they buy. What could the reason possibly beeeeeee?

(jk, it's misogyny)

Keep challenging her, Eleanor. Hold her to account on behalf of us all.

Great to see it all laid out like that

Thank you to everyone for your positive comments.

This place - Mumsnet - is such a valuable resource for women's and children's rights. I've learned a lot from it.

Thanks too for the messages via here, Twitter and my website. Every single one is hugely appreciated. 🍷