Can we take a moment to appreciate Piers Morgan

[mooncuplanding]

If anyone watches GMB, you will see that Piers Morgan is trying to advocate for women by challenging trans issues - in sport and awards ceremonies etc.

There is a petition to have him fired for being 'transphobic' yet he is quite courageous is saying he is not in agreement about the rights of transitioners to go into sport, to cancel the female category at awards ceremonies.

Although he seems a bit conflicting about how he actually deals with trans people in general, I for one, appreciate his courage to continue to talk about these issues. Especially on such a big platform.

I think the attempts to get Piers removed because of his views are doomed to failure. But that it is really useful.

We have already seen too many attempts at no platforming in Universities as a result of people expressing similar views to Morgan. Too many women, and men, have been forced to sit through "diversity" training" silently thinking that the gender stuff is rubbish. Too many teachers, sports coaches, girl guide leaders, social workers etc have felt unable to protest about self-ID policies even though they think they are, at worst, dangerous. Too many police are being diverted towards "hate crimes" rather than catching criminals. The fear is "speak up and you lose your job".

So good that Piers is speaking up. Good that people are attempting to get him removed from his post. Good that his Twitter is ablaze with contributions from people like Fox Fisher and Aimee Challenor and that most people seem to see them for what they are.

Doesn't make me a fan, or fawning. But I suspect on this one lots of people, including those in woke organisations like the BBC, are silently cheering him on.

I always thought he was a bit of a leftie. He's alright. His biggest fault is that he plays the oppressed middle class white man card a bit too much.

He almost completely lost his shit about trans women in sport this morning. I can’t see that he isn’t on the side of women in this - and he consistently pointed out it would be women that lose out in all respects. Pointing out facts isn’t fawning over someone.

.....he’s actually been ranting and roaring about this for a good few years now too......

Oh read my last post, ffs. I didn't call simply agreeing with him fawning.

I'm not remotely a fan. But on this particular issue, there is a broad church of people with commonsense views who don't believe that it's possible to change sex. And who don't think that saying the magic words "I'm a woman" makes it OK for a man to compete in women's sports. You don't even have to be a feminist to believe that. You just have to be someone who isn't utterly deluded.

But I'll give you this: most of these people with commonsense views aren't speaking out about it. I think Morgan is objectionable in all sorts of ways but I don't think he's a coward. Speaking in favour of gun control when you're hosting a tv show in the US takes some guts.

Hear hear @Aderyn19
Posting in support of sophisticated and nuanced debate and discussion, over mud-slinging and "good guys / bad guys".
There is no one in this earth with whose opinions I agree or disagree 100%. I am still interested in their arguments and how they came to them.
This isn't a children's video game of shoot the baddies, it's public debate.

A lot of people don't like him because he's so successful while on the surface being quite ordinary with ordinary opinions. Also, on this issue, you can't imagine him giving a shout out to radical feminism, he does talk like this was all his own idea whilst women have been saying it for decades. 'Late to the party, eats all the canapes'. Still, I think he's been great.

As usual, this is only going to go one way. As soon as you stick your head above the parapet, transactivists will unwittingly recruit you to (at least a version of) gender criticism.

Their rank idiocy and extremism is unsustainable.

Tbh I think he's a walking moral vacuum particularly in regard to listening to other people's phone messages and giving what the leveson enquiry pronounced as "utterly unpersuasive" responses while under oath on the subject. He also has a bulletproof sense of self which he likes to test by putting himself into positions of controversy, and this attribute makes him a useful idiot in that he is genuinely unswayed from any given stance by public opprobrium. I do think the views he expresses on trans rights are genuinely held because they are consistent with his utilitarian and broadly unimaginative approach to the world, but I have no doubt that the main reason for him broadcasting them is because he likes to broadcast everything he thinks rather than because he has a burning desire to join the struggle against the patriarchy.

@agnesnaismith

I would imagine most people who are say "no thanks" to him didn't even see what he had to say this morning (and like you say for the last few years)

He was absolutely relentless on pushing the woke guy on women's sports and woke guy was clearly defeated in his defence of trans rights - he simply could not justify it being fair.

For the person out there who hasn't been debating this on MN for years, this sort of debate on TV is so valuable, they may now have the confidence to go and talk about it in the office etc.

Bringing it mainstream is so important. That is what he is doing and I can't help but think that anyone on here who isn't for this has another motivation other than actually resolving the issues around trans.
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He's not a moral vacuum, I mean that's such as extreme thing to say.

There are stupid women that exist, and if someone calls that woman 'stupid' it is not necessarily misogyny, it can just be an opinion.

OK then. That wasn't the overwhelming opinion when Corbyn allegedly used the phrase.

As for him being a leftie, he's an acknowledged Conservative voter...

Although he seems a bit conflicting about how he actually deals with trans people in general

Not conflicting at. He supports transsexuals/ people who commit to transition to use spaces appropriate to that transition and pronouns.
He doesn’t believe in non binary, sports participation or self ID. Sounds sensible.

Same as most people really.

This board really is bat shit crazy. Poster girl Posie Parker cosies up to a bona fide right wing Canadian Nazi, whom no one has heard of, and the majority of posts defend her, including comments about getting the message out, broad church blah, blah. Although how interviewing an obscure Canadian Nazi achieves that escapes me.

Hugely famous British journalist speaks out on daytime television going against the mainstream right on BBC, Channel 4, Guardian luvvie stance and the reaction is oh no, how dare he. We don't want him talking about this- we don't need his support, he's not left wing -he "hates women" (what a profoundly stupid comment)

'Committing to transition' is meaningless when people like Challoner get a GRC.

I hope he loses and it's a big (fake) story in the press because it will get ordinary people talking about the trans issue.

Yes. And one imagines this is exactly what ITV (and Piers) is hoping for.

As for him being a leftie, he's an acknowledged Conservative voter...

Well the left wing are doing so much to support the gender critical cause aren't they. I guess you don't need the support of anyone on the right.

Lorraine Kelly says the petition to get him sacked is ridiculous. Might seem a small thing, but LK and her Loose Women lookee likee programme partners have been very useful in positively propagandising [the cohort we can't accurately name] outside the chattering classes and student unions. The helmet hairstyles, heavy make up, exaggerated hand gestures and shapeless satinette tops of the TW fraternity have always fitted quite nicely into daytime TV's sofa conveyor belt format. They're all 'mwah mwah' mates in the dressing rooms. A new frostinesd on this issue over Piers Morgan could be interesting.

I like Piers Morgan. Wasn't he the editor of The Mirror when it got rid of Page3?

Anyway, I wont "get me coat", I didnt bother taking it off.

That is what he is doing and I can't help but think that anyone on here who isn't for this has another motivation other than actually resolving the issues around trans.

For the 4th or 5th time, my objection is nothing to do with what Morgan has said, and if you wanted to discuss it then I'm fine with that and always have been. It's the fact that you set this up as an appreciation thread and then told those of us who didn't particularly feel that was a great angle how to suck eggs.

And if you dare suggest that is because I don't want to protect women's rights, I really don't know how to respond with anything other than anger, tbh, especially after the week I've had and the things I have had to discuss and disclose. Good fucking god.

He's not a moral vacuum, I mean that's such as extreme thing to say

Along with "he hates women". I can't take posters seriously who say that sort of thing.

Anyone on Loose Women publicly changing their stance would be interesting, wouldn't it?

OK then. That wasn't the overwhelming opinion when Corbyn allegedly used the phrase

I didn't criticise Corbyn for this either. I don't think saying "stupid woman" makes you a misogynist. You may be, but you also may not be!

Anyone on Loose Women publicly changing their stance would be interesting, wouldn't it?

Wouldn't it just!

Wasn't he the editor of The Mirror when it got rid of Page3?

No, they stopped in the 80s, he was editor from 1995.