Any Questions

[YesILikeItToo]

The panel seemed to duck the question, ‘Do you believe trans women are women?’ tonight by saying ‘Sure’, ‘Of course’ and (literally) ‘What she said’. Not really acknowledging what issues the question might raise at all.

The questioner tried to have a direct go at David Davies (who had, to be fair, given an answer indicating that he saw that the question needed to be unpacked a bit) by complaining about parliamentary space for meetings, but not many listeners would have appreciated that, I don’t know if the chairman did.

Chairman seemed non plussed, anyway, that the question hadn’t sparked any discussion, and moved things on by mumbling that ‘Perhaps it was one for Any Answers tomorrow’

Went on the radio 4 website to find out who the panellists were but the most interesting thing is to see that the BBC have summarised this as a discussion about the gender recognition act. A lay listener would have had no clue.

Is this unusual?

No. What happened today on Any Answers was par for the course. Any Questions often has maybe 6 to 8 questions and the Any Answers phone-in will typically get to discuss two or three of those topics. These are the stories that made the biggest splash in the news that week. As I wrote above, I didn't expect the TWAW question to be part of today's phone-in.

I really don't understand why so many women are red hot keen to lock male sex offenders in with vulnerable women.

David Davies: I would have concerns about allowing someone who was physically male into areas like prisons or hospital wards where women expect a measure of privacy, and I think that most people would agree with that.

Lisa Nandy: So basically what Liz said and Minette said and not what David said.

Lisa Nandy said she thinks male criminals should be in women's prisons and men should be treated on women's hospital wards. Is she insane?

My complaint

I was appalled to hear the non debate about whether trans people should be legally recognised. David Davies made the only valid point in the whole non discussion ....surely his point merited the courtesy of a nod to women's rights to dignity and privacy when we are vulnerable. I am outraged that the women on the panel have been frightened into silence on this issue. I feel betrayed by all the female politicians and so do other women. Well done to David Davies for standing up for women. The questioner should not have been allowed to tell the assembled that he was transphobic for meeting with concerned women's groups. Shameful. No doubt there were no answers on Saturday because dissenting voices are being censored.
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Lisa Nandy said she thinks male criminals should be in women's prisons and men should be treated on women's hospital wards. Is she insane?

And she's an MP for the Labour party?

They really don't want to get elected, do they?

We have to keep on writing to these women. Either they know but are too frightened or they haven't thought about the implications of such policies. And I won't be voting for any of them.

That panel made me angry. These women are quisling fucks. I expected no better from Nandy - I already despised her as I despise any Corbynite - but the other two were also cowards.
What do a few vulnerable women matter as long as I keep being invited on panels, eh? FFS. It’s not even like the 30 pieces of silver amount to that much.

The way the audience clapped all the TWAW responses and refused even a polite ripple of applause after DD was very telling, and disappointing.

That audience had been stuffed with a certain type though. You could hear it throughout. This often happens. As the rather hapless presenter gave away during the show, the audience is whoever turns up. If the local dregs of the Labour Party decide en masse they have nothing better to do in a Friday night, as must often be the case, you get a completely unbalanced audience.
QT on TV is more carefully curated, I think.

ive been to any questions recently and yes, i would say the audience was anyone who applied quickly enough and was into politics... not like QT

i only listened to the first half of this AQ- unfortunately david davis was being such an idiotic arse over brexit - 'oh i dont have the facts and figures- womansplaining' that i wouldnt be inclined to believe or agree with anything he ever said. - which is wrong i know but...

Having been in the question time audience a few years back I know that the BBC producers questions each audience member about certain view. With the one I went to the audience was very very heavily favoured towards one viewpoint. It was uncomfortable for me being on the left to be honest.

It doesn't allow for even, balanced distribution of opinions or discussion. I would imagine they use the same tactics for Any Questions.

If the BBC wants the listeners to hear one message ie. TWAW they will make sure that is what the public will here. It's not a neutral broadcaster.

Hear not hear 🙄

Like others on this thread I've been in the audience for a broadcast of Any Questions. Several times. It is nearly always made clear that the audience is self-selecting in order for the listeners to the broadcast to be aware that the audience will have its biases. There is no control of the audience beyond telling them to calm down if they're too noisy, no asking of political views, nor any other tricks. If you apply early enough to attend you get into the hall and that's it.

I prefer it being like that than being an audience curated to represent something desired by the production team.

But the trouble is if a claque decides to fill it there is no way of stopping them. To be honest, If an alien were forming its view of British politics solely from AQ, it would think we’d had hard left government for the last half century. Fortunately that’s not been the case

I turned it off yesterday before it got to the trans question. I felt I was listening to a man being bullied. It was horrible. I think many of his answers were sensible, they just weren't the populist easy answer. His answer to the extinction rebellion question was more thought out than the others which were "isn't it all wonderful that the children are so motivated". The farming woman praised the movement then later argued against No deal Brexit because it would harm Welsh sheep farmers. The UK committee on climate change said we should be reducing beef and lamb production to reduce greenhouse gases so if she supports the Extinction Rebellion movement she should have favoured that.