Woman's Hour Jo Swinson Now - 6th Dec

[AbsintheFriends]

Andrea Catherwood (?) interviewing and being quite tigerish. Seems to be in a mood to take no shit.

Just an afterthought. I wonder whether Emma Barnett has learned a thing or two from the way Julia Hartley Brewer has tackled this issue. Hartley Brewer hasn't pussy-footed around and I've been forced to respect her for the way she's taken TRAs on. While the usual WH presenters have been required to come at the subject from a neutral, trying to be fair to all, approach Barnett seemed to be further down the 'this is nonsense, isn't it?' path that JHB's been taking for a while. It's made me think yet again how dangerous the BBC's supposed neutrality and balance is. I thought they'd learned the lesson after the ridiculous climate change situation but they haven't.

Lols Lang. Yes exactly.

Jo Swinson is my MP. The SNP chickened out in this seat and put up an inexperienced contender. I think a meatier opposition could have beaten her. She knifed Charles Kennedy in the back to further her ambition. I feel her strong local support is draining away.
As she puts so much mental energy into sounding English, she sounds more and more like a schoolgirl debater.

I hope she keeps her seat. Anything is better than the SNP. I'm in a Lib Dem seat where the SNP came second. I'll be voting Lib Dem. "Gender critical" doesn't feature at all for me.

I never understand£ how women can do that sigh thing and the wee voices when they talk about transgender ppl

Just like Swinson did in that interview

It was like a fog came over her brain

So patronising towards trans people

The inexperienced contender will be getting my vote 7to25, not least because her FB feed at least shows she has been to local meetings about the schools consultation and out and about in the area talking to people. I will not be voting for Swinson. I also think Amy Callaghan might engage young people which would be a good thing.

Jo Swinson is my MP. The SNP chickened out in this seat and put up an inexperienced contender.

That's such a shame. Can you imagine if someone like Joan McAlpine or Joanna Cherry had stood against her? I would pay to go to those hustings despite living in the south of England.

I would love JHB to interview Swinson for the simple fact that she would absolutely call out her using "cis".

But if you are gender critical then there’s no point in voting SNP as Nicola Sturgeon believes TWAW too. McAlpine and Cherry are nobodies. Sturgeon is the SNP. Her husband is the CEO of the SNP - what Sturgeon says goes.

I've given up trying to find a party to vote for in this election, I just want the debate to happen now, as publicly as possible.

I too am in Jo Swinson’s constituency. Haven’t met the SNP candidate yet but haven’t seen anything in her campaign literature that mentions the GRC or issues relating to Women’s sex based rights. I would like to vote for SNP because of Cherry and McAlpine but the latest statements from Sturgeon are making me revisit this decision. Was approached by SNP in Glasgow’s west end and said I’ll only vote for you if I believe there are enough people in the party who are interested in my rights as a woman and the woman was so frank about how she personally and her fellow SNP women’s group (Kelvinside?) are doing all they can to counter the pressure to reform the GRA and ignore women’s sex based rights. But then Nicola spoke her nonsense and I’m in two minds, again. But Jo is not getting my vote.

I've given up trying to find a party to vote for in this election, I just want the debate to happen now, as publicly as possible.

Thor's is where I am too.

Me too.

Yes. It's even more stark when written out! Thanks for the transcription, Pencils.

Jo Swinson makes reference to "everyone" - well, that one word is erasing women. Just like that.

We're talking about women's spaces - spaces for those of born female - but Jo Swinson wants to talk "everyone".

She describes herself as a feminist, but won't even allow women their own separate category - to be recognised as distinct from males.

HOW is letting some males into women's spaces going to be any good for women? "Be nice" - it's all I ever hear these days. It's like this generation's version of "think of England".

To those in Swinson's seat: what are the chances of her losing it?

One thing is for sure - I may not be sure on who to vote for - I feel I have nobody to vote for - but I will be watching the results like a hawk.

Surely its impossible to be a feminist and not be able to tell women apart from other people. Screw that cis shit, thats how much she's a feminist.

@GeordieTerf In 2017 SNP got 17k votes and Lib Dem’s won with 21k. Labour & Tories 7k each so its a 2-horse race between Lib Dem’s & SNP. So tactically I should vote SNP to counter Swinson’s betrayal but can I bring myself to? Would it be better to ‘waste’ a vote on a party I can’t believe in or spoil my vote and scrawl across my paper something that shows why I’m spoiling it? Any suggestions?! I’m so torn about what to do.

Swinson had 10% lead over that SNP pillock John Nicholson in 2017. It will be a straight Lib Dem / SNP contest. I hope the Tory voters swing towards her- I can't see why they wouldn't. It's not as if the Lib Dems have a hope of being in government and every seat not won by the SNP is a bonus.

So tactically I should vote SNP to counter Swinson’s betrayal

If being "gender critical" is your big thing what difference does voting SNP make? Sturgeon is fully on board with everything you are opposing.

My constituency is the same Lib Dem/SNP contest- defeating the separatist party is far more important for me.

Yes, I have the same dilemma - Lib Dem in my constituency only has a 2,000 majority over the SNP and may be overturned - this time round I'm going to have to go LD because keeping the UK together is also a priority for me.

In order to keep the stronghold Tory out in my area I have to vote Lib Dem. but now I’ve heard Jo Swinson I can’t! Gah!! There is no party to vote for. I despair...

If being "gender critical" is your big thing what difference does voting SNP make?

It's the party that contains Joanna Cherry.

She might not be the leader, but she has been allowed to express her views. In today's politics that is big.

The point is that reforming the GRA is a devolved issue- and there is nothing that says that you have to vote for the same party in the Westminster and Scottish elections. If you want to vote for a party which supports remain, it is either Lib Dem or SNP. I voted Lib Dem in 2017 because I could not bring myself to vote for Nicholson (who came to my door and entirely put me off), and I voted Labour prior to that, but that seemed to me a wasted vote, really, and not something I could now do.

Reforming the GRA is on the Scottish government’s agenda prior to the next Scottish election, so it is not something which is relevant in Scotland to the Westminster elections (aside from the fact that one would not wish an MP who does not reside in England and sit in an English constituency to ride roughshod over women’s right there). Addressing the issue in Scotland can be better achieved by mobilising against proposed changes in Scotland through Scottish organisations and supporting those MPs and MSPs who have voiced concerns.

Sorry, my comment relates to Jo Swinson’s constituency

I also wanted to say thank you for the transcription of the interview and for the information about the funding from Ferring - which is basically, if I understand it correctly, that the Lib Dem have received £1.5m from a company that makes drugs which can be used as puberty blockers?