Going to see MP tomorrow about Times articles this week, what do I ask?

[surferjets]

Name changed for this.
My MP has a drop in surgery tomorrow, no need for a letter or appointment. Seems like a great time to go and see him with copies of this weeks Times articles.

I'm going to ask him to raise the issue of lack of oversight at Tavistock regarding safeguarding and consent for children with the Select Committee for Health.

I'll ask him to raise questions in the house (or) start an inquiry into the role of Mermaids in training/ lobbying in schools/ NHS/ police etc.

Am I wording this correctly? What else should I ask? You are all so much more knowledgeable than I am on this, and I'll admit to being rather intimidated by this!

Also, as the articles came out this week, it seems a great opportunity for us all the check if our MP may have a drop in surgery tomorrow. ( If you live in N Wilts, pop in on him too!)

[Edited by MNHQ to remove identifying information]

This is a good article for MPs to be left with

Its an accurate summary of issues with Police actions being driven by TRAs/lobbyists & pulls together many of the most significant cases:
Uncommon Ground
'Meet the Experts Training Police in the UK on Trans Issues'
April 12, 2019 by Elsa Egret
(extract)
Why are police intervening to tell the public what we are permitted to think while those paid to influence the police threaten women with impunity?
Caroline Farrow, Andy Healey, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, Graham Linehan, Dr Julia Long, Harry Miller, Maggie Nelson, Kate Scottow, Miranda Yardley.

Various police forces in England have decided that the separate actions of these eight women and men required responses including an early morning phone call, a knock on the door, an interview at the station, a harassment warning, physical removal from an event, hours of detainment without sanitary protection, confiscation of personal property, referral to the CPS.

What were they all up to? What crimes had they committed? The grievous offence of disagreeing with transgender ideology: on Twitter, on personal blogs, and, in the case of Long, on a chair. (Long was at an Accenture event billed as being ‘for everyone’ and was physically removed by seven City of London police officers for, presumably, her thoughts, as she had not caused any disruption)." (continues)
uncommongroundmedia.com/police-uk-trans-issues/

MPs should be encouraged to look into these cases as a priority & be warned that they should do due dilligence.

Hi, I'm a longtime lurker. This thread has motivated me to contact my MP, Victoria Atkins. I believe she once commented on the GRA reforms, am I correct?

You are Pancakestastelikecrepe:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6105259/Transgender-activists-quick-stifle-debate-says-ex-childrens-minister.html

This thread has motivated me to contact my MP, Victoria Atkins. I believe she once commented on the GRA reforms, am I correct?

Victoria Atkins has made key public comments about the need for an inquiry into the numbers of children being referred to Tavistock GIDs & also about the issues of housing males in female prison estate (following assault by Karen White of 4 vulnerable women prisoners)

She is the minister for women within the Women & Equality Department and a really good MP to approach.

He wasn't there

My extraordinary idea of planning something to do for myself on a Saturday was foolish I guess. After I'd gone with DH to help pick up his very necessary thing, we got to the surgery with just 15 minutes left to go. There was no one there!

Next one is in two weeks.

November 2018 James Kirkup Spectator

'This MP has summed up everything wrong with the transgender debate'
(extract)
"First, Victoria Atkins, the minister for women and equalities at the Home Office is a good thing, and someone surely heading for more senior ministerial office in due course. Ministerial responses to Westminster Hall debates are often boilerplate bromides written by officials and recited unthinkingly by the minister concerned. Atkins’ contribution was a lot better than that, and strongly suggests a minister who has taken the time to think critically about the issues (and actors) in an area where critical thinking has been painfully lacking.

Again, I don’t endorse everything Atkins said (I think she’s a tiny bit blasé about how effectively the Equality Act 2010’s single-sex exemptions are being implemented in everyday practice) but her general approach and tone were the right: it’s a complicated, contentious issue where loud voices on the extremes have drowned out and sometimes silenced legitimate questions.

Here are two eminently reasonable Atkins quotes that should be utterly uncontroversial but which are, in this context, refreshingly bold:

‘People are sometimes almost too scared to talk about things, which is not right. We do not want a climate of fear in the debate. We want people to be able to express their views respectfully and in a caring and careful manner, so that we ensure that questions are flushed out and answered.’

And:

‘I get asked about this issue regularly, and we all share a sense of sadness about the fact that this important debate sometimes gets taken over by loud and sometimes aggressive campaigning by activists. I am sure they hold their beliefs very strongly, but they perhaps lose sight of the fact that we have to be able to talk about this issue in a reasoned, respectful and caring fashion. The vast majority of the public—and, I am sure, parliamentarians—are in the middle. We want to talk about this issue in a caring and careful way so society gets to a position in which we are all comfortable with the consequences of the changes to legislation and so on.’ (continues)

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/11/this-mp-has-summed-up-everything-wrong-with-the-transgender-debate/

The MP rightly criticised by James Kirkup was Layla Moran (Lib Dem) for her her claim about relying on 'seeing into people's souls' rather than recognising sex-based risks & realities during the Westminster Hall debate on gender self-id.

threads:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3431013-James-Kirkup-being-fab-again

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3425914-Westminster-GRA-debate-Wednesday-21st-Nov

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3429969-Watch-live-Government-debate-on-self-ID

@R0wantrees Brilliant, thanks!

suferjets how frustrating!

Are you able to go in two weeks?

*Lizzie
*
Yes I'll go in two weeks, but a bit frustrated as I was quite keen to go soon after the Times articles, as there might have been some chat going on in Westminster.

Never mind, lots of new articles to look through ( thanks Rowan) and it's Easter break I think now anyway.

Victoria Atkins MP & Tim Loughton MP on need for caution/inquiry into numbers of children seeking medical intervention:

Telegraph August 2018 by Camilla Turner, education editor Steven Swinford, deputy political editor

'Transgender activists accused of attempting to shut down debate'
(extract)
"Transgender activists have been accused of attempting to shut down debate, as a former children’s minister said that young people’s welfare is being “sacrificed on the altar of political correctness”.

The women’s minister is facing a backlash after saying that she is “a little cautious” about the number of teenagers undergoing gender reassignment treatment.

Victoria Atkins warned the country needs to be “particularly alert” to the issue, and expressed concern that a rising number of teenagers were seeking “life-changing” medical interventions.

LGBT+ campaigners accused her making "damaging" comments and warned that people's "lives are at stake".

Tim Loughton, a Tory MP and former children’s minister, said that Ms Atkins is “absolutely right” to be cautious about children “rushing” to change their genders." (continues)

“My concern is that those who have a political agenda seem to want to sacrifice the welfare of children on the altar of political correctness and equalities whereas every child needs to be respected and supported in their own right. This is about individuals, not other people’s agendas.” (continues)

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/27/transgender-activists-accused-attempting-shut-downdebate/

@R0wantrees I work in FE/HE so I'll hopefully be able to give her some valid insight, based on my experiences and witnessing of ROGN amongst students

Pancakestastelikecrepe That's a really important perspective.
Good luck
Ive watched Victoria Atkins & have been quite impressed by her focus on the details, (much more so than Maria Miller & Penny Mordant)

@R0wantrees ROGD even 🙄

I read it as that

It might also be worth leaving Victoria Atkins with a couple of the really well written articles about Penny Mordant's recent poor response to MN's serious questions.

They should be easily searched

The Conservative's and Women & Equalities Dept need to be aware of how this is being viewed.

apologies for the odd apostrophe there!

@R0wantrees How did you know I'm an English Lecturer?😉
Will do and will feedback, fully, should I be granted an audience

Pancake
We have a number of overlapping interests

I have sent my request, requesting a meeting in relation to 'women's rights and access to education in rural areas' thinking that I can't be accused of being disingenuous...

I am waiting with breath that is bated 😬🙄

Shame about the wasted journey Surferjets but was reading an article today saying all MPs were worn out with Brexit. In two weeks time, he may feel more rested. Trying to be optimistic but not Pollyanna-ish I hope. Thanks for links about Victoria Atkins Rowantrees. They were interesting. Not only was Tim Loughton was a former Children’s Minister, he did have a reputation for being well informed and committed. May be aware than some about safeguarding.

Not only was Tim Loughton was a former Children’s Minister, he did have a reputation for being well informed and committed. May be aware than some about safeguarding.

Not sure about Loughton to be honest.

Not sure about Loughton to be honest

He is quite hard core on welfare/Brexit etc but at least he understood his brief when a Minister. It feels as if we are starting from a low base when it comes to politicians these days so perhaps I need to up my expectations!

So I saw him today. He was very nice, describing himself as very old fashioned and ' on my side in this.'

I asked him to ask PM about the progress of her inquiry into ROGD and to raise the qs around the Tavistock and the recent articles in the Times with Sarah W and the Health Select Committee.

He suggested that it would be better to write to a minister, as the committee was already going working on other things, ( as was shown in the letter another mner recieved yesterday) and PM was 'on a mission' to promote equality. He then composed a letter right then to Mike Hancock, Minister for Health, and copied in SW and PM!

He basically composed the letter (on his dictaphone) while reading the articles I'd given him. ( Great idea to highlight bits Rowan!) He said he had a concerned constituent who was raising questions, asked about the Tavistock, mentioned the Oxford professor and also asked about Penny's urgent ROGD enquiry.

What was interesting was that he went to great lengths in his letter to stress ( rightly) that neither of us were in any way against trans people, just concerned about the way 'the pendulum was swinging' to influence children during those vulnerable teen years. I told him about the high proportion of autistic children or those with mh issues or bullying, and he put that all in.

I'm not really sure what he specifically asked, and I didn't think to ask for a copy of the letter. He was raising questions about the concerns I had. He took the photocopied articles to send with his letter.

I will get copies of their replies. I'll let you know what they say!

Brilliant work surfer.

Well done!